Apricity
by TheBigBadWolfable
Summary: Two years have passed since the final trip to Egypt, and although Ryou has finally settled into a fairly normal life, everything's about to be stirred up again, bringing more than two people back together. Tendershipping Prideshipping Bronzeshipping
1. Chapter 1

**_Yikes so here's my first Yu-Gi-Oh story. I've wanted to write one since I first fell in love with this fandom almost a decade ago as a kid. I hope anyone who still lurks in this fandom enjoys it! Forgive me if things are a little out of character, it's been so many years and my headcanon might have run away with itself a little bit. _**

**_As for pairings expect Tendershipping and Prideshipping mostly, with some Bronzeshipping. I know that might seem a little weird but I promise it makes sense in the end. At least for my headcanon._**

**_Enjoy!_**

A middle aged woman across the aisle rusted her paper, and Ryou shifted in his seat, attempting to get comfortable. The subway train jolted and clattered on towards downtown Domino as Ryou rubbed his tired eyes. He wasn't sleeping well at all lately, he half-heartedly wondered if he was getting sick.

Ryou turned his attention to the headline of the woman's paper, something or other trivial about a local politician and his wife. He smiled wistfully; remembering not so long ago when he was used to seeing familiar faces on the front page. Ryou had to admit that not much had changed in Domino since the conclusion of the dueling leagues, the competitions had faded but life went on. He had finally graduated high school and moved onto employment in the real world, but it had been like stepping out of a thick fog.

The train slowed at his stop and Ryou filed his way out with everyone else. Ryou found Domino beautiful in the late winter, crisp and cold but it reminded him of growing up in England. He pulled his bag up higher on his shoulder and fiddled with his jacket buttons as he stood in the crowd waiting for the crosswalk light.

Across the street loomed the massive Kaiba Corp building, casting a shadow over downtown. It was still by far the most prominent feature in Domino's skyline. Ryou joined the hustle and bustle of his fellow employees entering the building, keying in, and filing off to their respective workplaces. Ryou headed for an elevator in the back, keeping his eyes trained shyly on the ground; even after the last few years here he still received his fair share of disapproving looks for his less than conventional hair.

Ryou wasn't the textbook Kaiba Corp employee, but he really did enjoy his job. He had never really expected the company to be interested in him when he started his job search, but he had been pleasantly surprised when a position had been offered to him. Ryou had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with Kaiba, and he smiled to himself as the elevator lurched upwards, musing about his unusual boss.

Down a long hall and through a maze of offices he shuffled into his cubicle, pleased as always to find it perfectly organized. No company of Kaiba's tolerated sloppiness in any form, but Ryou was always particularly neat. In the very beginning Ryou had been hired as a low level secretary, but quickly outpaced the work and had just a few months ago been promoted into the internal affairs office. It was hard work, but Ryou was determined to prove himself.

He sat with a sigh, pulling his hair into a ponytail on top of his head and started up the computer, drumming his nails on the desk while he waited for the machine. The morning went by smoothly, a long string of paperwork and emails that piled up over the weekend. It wasn't until he got back from lunch that Ryou had a moment to breathe. He settled into his desk, stirring his leftovers lazily and browsing over the few personal items he had in the space.

He reached out and picked up the only photo he had on the desk. It was a picture of two blondes, grinning in front of an ancient monument. Malik was laughing his arms around Marik's neck as the two posed. Ryou smiled sadly, ignoring the pang in his chest, as his thumb absentmindedly brushed some imaginary dust from the glass. Malik had mailed the photo to him a couple months ago, and it was one of the few physical reminders he had of his friend. He had kept in surprisingly good contact with Malik since everyone had dueled for the last time in Egypt, and he had to admit he missed him. Ryou squinted at the other blonde; he didn't know Marik very well, never having interacted much with the spirit when he was possessing Malik's body. But in everything he'd received from the blonde Malik seemed to care for him deeply.

Ryou tried to distract himself from thinking about his own spirit, the darker half that had existed within him for so much of his life. But the pang inside his chest sunk deeper into a dull ache, leaving Ryou gripping the frame of the photo painfully hard.

Ryou didn't remember much of what had happened in Egypt, he only had assumptions made in the gaps between the spirits possession. He knew that items were sealed and souls released and for the first time in his living memory he had been able to return to life as just himself. It had been a strange, empty, and lonely feeling that took Ryou a particularly long time to adjust to.

It had seemed like life finally resembled something akin to normal, until one spring morning when Yugi had dropped in on his apartment, with a surprise that had nearly given Ryou a heart attack. Yugi had shown up on his doorstep, standing hand in hand with Yami. Ryou was sure he had finally snapped and gone mad, and it took him weeks to finally accept the idea. No one knew for sure why such a thing had happened, but apparently souls had been rebounded not into the past as expected, but back into the future. The spirit that had been a part of Yugi for so long was now an actual physical person.

The instance had left Ryou's mind obsessing with possibilities for weeks, and he spiraled into a nervous waiting mess. Shortly after Yami's appearance he was reading about Marik's return into Malik's life through their correspondence, and everyone seemed so _happy_.

But weeks turned into months, and months into years, and the one spirit Ryou couldn't ever stop thinking about never showed. Ryou knew he had to exist, things Malik had written him had made him sure the two blonde's had spent time with Ryou's darker half. There was never a note, a call, or so much of a sign that his spirit had any desire to contact him. It stung Ryou deeper than he could have ever imagined.

Although things weren't all smooth sailing, Ryou had been surprised to see that the relationship between Yugi and Yami had crumbled shortly after the spirit's arrival. At that time Ryou had been spending a fair amount of time with the gang, just adjusting to life again after their final duels in Egypt. Ryou had always assumed that the two wild haired teens had meshed so well in one body, but with the pharaoh in his own body things didn't seem to go so smoothly.

Watching from a distance Ryou started to assume that it was mostly because the spirit was an older person, and was prone to drinking and rash behavior that one might expect from an ancient ruler. Yami didn't seem fit well within Yugi's gang of friends, and with time things became further and further strained between them. At the same time Ryou began to drift further from the group, he had to work and focus on supporting himself, while Yugi and a few of his friends were considering moving to America to pursue higher education.

When Yugi had finally made the decision to leave, it was clear that Yami had no intention of going with him. At the time Ryou had been relocating to an apartment closer to Kaiba Corp, and he had very tentatively suggested Yami move in with him. It was so strange to him at first, never having really lived with another breathing person, but in all honesty Ryou was thankful for the company over the past year. It wasn't perfect, but it was something.

Ryou shook the thoughts from his head as his phone rang and he picked it up quickly, snapping back into work mode. Things at Kaiba Corp were never calm, and Ryou had to be careful never to fall behind. "Yes sir Mr. Tanaka, I'll be there right away!" Ryou scrambled off to the elevator to continue his day.

After the hustle and bustle of Kaiba Corp, the train ride home always seemed so quiet, even with so many other commuters around. The day has turned into rain, and Ryou was happy he didn't live far from the station. Up on the third floor Ryou struggled to get the notoriously tricky lock open before stumbling into the apartment.

He flicked on the light. The apartment wasn't the nicest place, he and Yami didn't make very much money, but it was clean and well taken care of. It was definitely nicer than any other place Ryou had lived in on his own in the last couple years.

Ryou was surprised to see Yami on the couch; he worked late evenings in a local restaurant, and was almost never home before Ryou. "Off early?" Ryou asked.

"Yeah" Yami grinned. "Scheduling conflict or something this new manager really doesn't have the hang of things yet."

Ryou hummed in response inspecting the contents of the fridge. "Does dinner sound good?"

"Dinner sounds amazing, Ryou you're an angel" Yami groaned settling into the couch.

A while later the only sound in the apartment was the scrape of cutlery across plates as the two boys dug into their meal after a long day.

"How's work?" Ryou asked.

Yami groaned. "It's awful, I really wish I could find something better but I'm not having much luck."

Ryou felt for Yami, who was working full time as a waiter in a local restaurant. It was a nice place, but Ryou knew how smart and hardworking Yami actually was and how frustrating it was to him to be stuck in such an uninspiring dead end. The problem was that Yami technically didn't exist, and without papers, or a formal education, his employment opportunities were slim at best.

"Yugi left me a voicemail while I was at work today," Ryou mentioned casually. Yami didn't say anything he just grunted and went back to his meal.

Within an hour everything was cleaned up and Ryou yawned violently, thoroughly exhausted. He left the shared bathroom where he had changed and washed, wandering into his small dark room. He sat down on the edge of his twin bed and rubbed his temples, finally satisfied with a few moments to himself. After a few minutes he crawled under the covers, relaxing into the mattress.

Ryou reached over to the lamp and flicked it off, closing his eyes with a sigh, settling in for a long restless night.

If Monday had been okay, Tuesday was not.

It was a bad day at work to say the least. From the moment he was called in early, Ryou had spent all morning running from office to office in a panic. Nothing was going right, and he was sure that his boss would be chewing him out by the end of the day. Something had shifted dramatically in the American markets overnight and the entire company was in an uproar. He took a moment to catch his breath in the elevator, and wondered why this seemed to be a weekly occurrence at Kaiba Corp.

Ryou was already exasperated by the time he reached his cubicle, but any immediate concerns he had were completely erased by the handwritten note he found taped to his screen.

_Mr. Kaiba has requested your presence in his office immediately._

Ryou stared at the note for a solid full minute. _What on earth could this be about? _He wondered. Surely it couldn't be anything good, he doubted that Kaiba had ever given good news to anyone in his entire life. He barely had time to follow his thoughts before the severity of the request sunk he and he took off back down the hall, his stomach sinking with every hurried step.

In the elevator Ryou had to do something he had never done before, and hesitated slightly before pressing the button for the 52nd floor. He had never been up to Kaiba's office; he wasn't even sure he'd spoken to the man since high school. An insecure part of him wondered if Kaiba would even remember him, if he even knew who he was. _But surely Kaiba doesn't handle firing someone like me. _As each floor dinged by Ryou became more nervous. He breathed deeply and tried to scrape up some confidence as the elevator reached the top of the building.

The hallway presented to him was unlike the rest of the Kaiba Corp building. If anything it was even more luxurious, with white marble floors, and gorgeous dark furniture. More than anything Ryou noticed that it was almost completely silent, compared to the hustle and bustle of the rest of the building. At the end of the space there was a large wooden desk, and behind it a pair of gigantic metal doors. Entirely engrossed in her computer, a blonde woman sat at the desk. Being the only other person in the room, Ryou approached her.

"Errr, hello?" He asked awkwardly.

She paused in her work and looked up at him, making eye contact but all the while never pausing her typing.

"Ah yes." Ryou continued. "I received a note asking me to come up here." _The note! _He groaned internally, how could he have forgotten the note? Suddenly he had a brief moment of panic, wondering if this was all some terrible practical joke someone was playing on him. Why would Kaiba Corp use handwritten notes anyway? Ryou silently wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole.

But the woman just smiled politely at his discomfort, and gestured welcomingly to the door behind her, all without saying a word. It took Ryou an awkward pause before he got the idea and took a few steps towards the door. He had just begun scanning the massive panels for a handle when all of a sudden; they began to swing forward without any warning.

The automatic doors opened slowly and dramatically, in true Kaiba fashion. Ryou was immediately taken back by the view, where the entranceway had been entirely enclosed; three of the four walls of this massive office were entirely glass. When he had stopped reeling from the stunning display, Ryou finally focused on the man he was so nervous to see.

Kaiba was every bit as he had remembered him. He sat rigidly engrossed in his screen, in a white suit of all things, completely ignoring Ryou's entrance. But upon further inspection he noted that Kaiba did look different, older perhaps. There was a pair of glasses perched on his face and Ryou could almost have sworn he could see lines around his eyes. His posture may have still been perfect, but this man looked tired.

Ryou approached the desk, as Kaiba continued to ignore him. Ryou opted to just stand as obediently as possible, directly behind the two empty chairs in front of the desk. The few minutes he stood, trying not to fiddle with his hands, felt like hours.

Finally Kaiba sighed, looking up from the screen and pulling the glasses off his face, to take a good look at Ryou. They made eye contact for the first time and Ryou was struck by how much older Kaiba actually looked. He wondered what the man had been through in the short time since high school. He must have been staring because Kaiba raised an eyebrow at him and Ryou coughed nervously.

"Umm, I think you asked to see me?"

Kaiba snorted derisively and gestured for him to take a seat. "Yes, I am aware of my own decisions, thank you."

Ryou sunk into one of the seats, just as Kaiba rose from his own desk and walked over to one of the windows, staring thoughtfully out over Domino's skyline. Ryou didn't dare speak again and struggled to breathe normally in the prolonged silence.

Eventually Kaiba spoke. "So tell me Ryou, how are you enjoying your new boss?" Ryou was surprised that he used his casual name, but pleased that Kaiba felt so informal around him.

Ryou stared at the back of Kaiba, wondering what on earth he was supposed to say. "Well," he began hesitantly, "He seems like a good manager?"

Kaiba let out a short, insincere laugh. "Relax Ryou, I just want you to tell me what you know about Mr. Tanaka."

Even more thoroughly confused than he was when he entered the office, Ryou listed off the few inconsequential things he knew about Tanaka's family and personal life, none of which seemed to be of any interest to Kaiba.

When he had finished the CEO turned back to him, staring directly at him in a way that made Ryou feel like his very bones were shrinking. "So in short," he drawled, "You don't know anything?"

Ryou could have sworn he flinched. "I'm sorry," he floundered, "I don't know what you want to hear."

Kaiba sighed, and Ryou thought that he was seeing the first sincere emotions from the young man. Kaiba returned to his desk and folded his hands in front of him. Even with the changes the man was still a very formidable figure to sit across from and Ryou wondered how anyone ever went up against him at all.

"I…" Kaiba began, "I have some concerns about Tanaka's extracurricular activities regarding important company individuals."

It wasn't a question but Ryou knew he was looking for some form of answer. He cursed himself for realizing how little he actually knew about his boss. But could he really be blamed? There were hundreds of people in his department it's not like he'd had much personal time with the man. "I'm sorry sir but I really don't think I know anything about that."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes at Ryou thoughtfully. "Tanaka has never mentioned seeing other department heads outside of work?"

_What on earth is this about? _Ryou had no idea how he was supposed to be helpful. "I'm sorry again but I'm just a clerk I mostly just receive instructions from Tanaka."

Kaiba sighed again and rubbed his eyes. "That's to be expected Ryou, I didn't have any decent hopes that you would know anything regardless."

"Oh…" Ryou wavered. Now he was really confused as to why he had been called all the way up here.

"Unfortunately," Kaiba continued, "I have a snake on my hands and I don't have any patience for it, so I'm going to go ahead and clean house of the internal affairs office."

Ryou fought to keep his mouth from falling open. _So I am fired._

"Anyway," Kaiba waved his hand dismissively, "I'm going to relocate you to a different department."

Ryou's head was spinning. So he wasn't fired, but just moving departments. Where would he go? He didn't have any specific talents; he was still just an everyday paper pusher. "Thank you sir!" Ryou added a little too enthusiastically.

Kaiba's phone began to ring and he motioned for Ryou to leave. "My secretary will find a place for you, you will begin immediately." As he answered the phone Ryou knew the conversation was over and he hurried to exit the room, feeling particularly awkward as he had to wait for the doors to mechanically open wide enough for him to squeeze through.

The woman at the desk had been surprisingly pleasant after the original silent interaction, and she had informed Ryou that he would be moving up a few floors, to the international relations department. Ryou didn't know much about the specific work, but doubted that his tasks would change too much. His new department dealt with Kaiba Corp advertising and public image in the international market.

Much to his chagrin the position was back to secretarial work, although it was technically a promotion up from his current job. Ryou was to be personal receptionist for the department head, which at least came with a nice pay raise. He was transferred immediately and moved his belongings within the hour, hardly leaving him time to wonder why Kaiba had taken the effort to save him from termination. Not that he wasn't exceptionally grateful.

Ryou's new boss was a Mr. Katashi, who was entirely different than his previous manager. Katashi was surprisingly young for a department head; he could hardly be thirty at most. He was tall and dark, and Ryou had to admit a little handsome. Their first meeting had been awkward for Ryou, though Katashi was all smiles and very friendly. He had insisted that Ryou refer to him by his first name but Ryou wasn't sure that he would, the idea made him a little uncomfortable.

While his previous workspace had been a private cubicle, Ryou's new desk was in the entrance hall of the bustling department, much more open and exposed. Ryou wasn't sure yet if he liked it, but he was determined to throw himself into the work, seemingly having been given a very generous opportunity by Kaiba. He had yet to hear anything about his previous department, and Ryou was sure if anything happened, the gossip would spread through the office like wildfire.

The rest of the day passed quickly, mostly filled with learning the software and familiarizing himself with his new duties. Ryou didn't see Katashi again before he went home; the man was very busy with the American market turmoil, even if he seemed to be so bright and optimistic.

By the commute home Ryou was already tired. He got off the train a stop early, needing to visit a local grocery store to pick up some things. His groceries were slim, he and Yami didn't eat in their apartment all that much, and Yami was always bringing home leftovers from the restaurant. Although Ryou really did enjoy cooking on occasion, and it was nice to have someone to cook for.

The cold dark walk the few blocks back to the apartment helped Ryou clear his head and he felt better. He huffed hard as he carried the extra weight up the stairs, and reminded himself that he definitely needed to work on getting into shape.

Inside the apartment was empty and quiet, but warm. He took his time, turning on the television and half-heartedly listening to some local news while he put the groceries away and settled in for the night. He was halfway through preparing himself a makeshift dinner when Yami called.

"Hey Ryou!" Yami had to shout over the background noise of what Ryou assumed was the kitchen, although it sounded like Yami was walking away and the clatter was fading.

"Hey Yami," Ryou smiled in spite of himself he never got many calls and it was nice to have people to talk to, even if it was his own roommate.

"Sorry, It's super busy here tonight I'm gonna be home pretty late." Ryou hummed a response; it was what he had expected, Yami usually didn't return home until after Ryou was asleep for the night.

Ryou could hear Yami settling down to take a quick break. "I had the strangest day at work today, you wouldn't even believe it." Ryou was excited to get to finally gossip with Yami, who was one of the few people who would understand how unusual his day was.

"Oh do tell." He could almost see Yami with the mischievous face he always got when he got his hands on a good story.

Ryou explained to him about the hectic morning and getting called up to see Kaiba. Yami was especially interested in his conversation with the young business man, and Ryou found it amusing that even after two years without seeing him the former spirit was still so obsessed with the CEO. After the Kaiba part Yami didn't seem to be particularly interested in discussing the details of Ryou's new position and kept steering the conversation back to Kaiba until he was called to return to work.

As he hung up the phone Ryou was in good spirits, humming to himself as he moved to continue finishing his dinner. He ate the meal curled up on the couch enjoying a little relaxation. It wasn't until he returned to the kitchen to wash up his dishes that he realized how empty and quiet the apartment actually was.

While filling the sink he could have sworn he heard a footstep and he spun around to confront the empty room. He tried to shake being so startled, and told himself off for being such a wuss. Still even as he returned his attention to the sink the hair on the back of his neck stood up, and Ryou couldn't shake the eerie feeling.

He was fishing drying his glass when he heard another noise, this one much louder and he jumped, spinning around to face the intruder. This time there was someone there, standing not ten feet from him in his own dimly lit kitchen. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, and Ryou felt like his breath had been knocked out of him. The glass slipped from his hand, but even the noise of it shattering on the floor seemed to come from a great distance.

"Bakura…" Ryou breathed.


	2. Chapter 2

_**This chapter breaks into lots of little pieces, which jumps around alot, but it really sets up the flow for the rest of the story.**_

A very special thanks to TheeWiccaChick for dropping me my first review. Enjoy!

* * *

The room seemed frozen still and Ryou clamped his eyes shut willing for the space to be empty when he opened them. But nothing changed, and panic seemed to rise up in his chest, fighting to escape. Ryou couldn't come up with any words, but his mouth moved silently, seemingly disconnected from his brain.

It was undeniably Bakura standing ten feet in front of him in his kitchen. It seemed unnatural that he was so close. Ryou hadn't seen his spirit in years, but he remembered every detail perfectly. Yet this Bakura was still impossibly different. Ryou had only ever known him as a vision, and his presence as a physical person was enough of a shock to make his heart stop beating.

Bakura was taller than Ryou had ever been, by a good half a foot at least and he was an intimidating sight. Moments had passed but not a sound had been made, and as Ryou floundered Bakura remained unnaturally still, so unmoving that Ryou might have assumed he was just a statue.

People had never been able to tell the difference between the two of them but to Ryou, Bakura was so different. His hair was wild, white like his but so much more untamed. He was wearing that black coat, that stupid black coat that made him look so ominous. They finally made eye contact and Ryou felt like he had been punched in the chest. His spirit's eyes were dark, looking almost entirely black in the dim kitchen, even though Ryou knew by instinct that they were a dark red.

Ryou's voice shook. "Bakura?"

The man moved for the first time, blinking slowly as his mouth formed the word that seemed to take several seconds to cross the space. "Ryou."

Ryou's knees almost gave out underneath him. The voice was undeniably Bakura's even after all this time. The world seemed to come rushing back to full speed all in a moment and Ryou had to physically grip the counter to support himself, his hand over his hammering heart. _What on earth was going on? _

"Wh-hat?" Ryou's voice was barely a whisper but it cracked all the same.

Bakura still didn't move but he raised an eyebrow, even as his facial expression remained blank.

The panic that had filled Ryou was simmering, and he could feel it slowly turning into anger. His brain was finally catching up to the situation as well. "How did you get in here?"

Bakura broke the eye contact shifting almost guiltily on his feet as he shrugged nonchalantly. Apparently he wasn't much for talking. Ryou was hardly surprised Bakura always had a talent for illegal behavior.

Ryou's anger was growing. "What are you doing here?" He demanded, his voice growing stronger. Bakura still didn't reply, but looked back at Ryou, narrowing his eyes. The silence only made Ryou more frustrated.

"Get out!" Ryou snapped, pointing at the door. Bakura remained quiet but drew himself up to his full height tilting his head slightly and continuing to bore into Ryou with his stare.

When it became clear that Bakura had no intention of moving Ryou seized the plate off the counter and hurled it in his direction. It was a good throw but Bakura sidestepped it with ease, the plate smashing against the wall behind him.

Ryou wanted to scream, he wanted to throw everything in the damn kitchen and force him out. But Ryou had grown up with Bakura, and he still knew better than to think it was possible. Bakura would do whatever the hell Bakura wanted to do.

Ryou stormed out of the kitchen, sick of the sight of the former spirit. The immense anger was giving way to anguish and Ryou collapsed onto the living room couch, head in his hands. Ryou fought back the tears and cursed himself but it was too much in one moment. He felt like it took forever to collect himself, and he struggled with his emotions as they kept threating to spill over.

He jumped when he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder and he jerked his hands away from his face. Bakura was crouched on the floor in front of the couch, looking slightly up at him. Ryou sniffled and after a long moment launched himself at Bakura without warning.

It was so unlike any interaction he had ever had with his darker half, because he was real now. Ryou collided with his chest and Bakura was knocked back on his heels, Ryou clinging to him tightly, burying his face in the former spirit's neck and gripping his shoulders. It was so strange to finally touch Bakura after a lifetime, so familiar and yet so new. The smell was intoxicating, Bakura smelled rich and musky and Ryou was mildly alarmed by how much he enjoyed it.

Ryou held him for a while, just trying to distract himself from the conflicting emotions swirling inside himself. Bakura didn't say anything, and he didn't embrace Ryou back, he was just sitting back on his heels stiffly.

When the silence became awkward, Ryou unwound himself from Bakura, pulling himself back up onto the couch, regretting his sudden rush of affection. Bakura stayed crouched on the floor, making long eye contact, startling Ryou with how cutting his dark red eyes really were.

"Who are you?" Ryou asked quietly.

The corner of Bakura's mouth turned up in the slightest smirk. "You know me, Ryou." Hearing his voice again after so long was surreal to Ryou, it felt like a strange dream. It was deep and rough like he remembered, but it seemed so unusual coming out of an actual person rather than a possession in his head.

"Bakura." Ryou said again.

Bakura's smirk widened the smallest bit. "Bakura." He repeated.

After Yami had returned, Ryou had imagined being reunited with Bakura almost every day. He had even talked to Yugi about his reunion, and he finally understood the strange feeling that Yugi had struggled to explain. It would have been so happy.

But those daydreams were from months, even years ago. Bakura had never shown, and eventually Ryou had stopped expecting him. It didn't seem like such a happy thing anymore.

"Why are you here?" It seemed like such a simple question, but it felt so heavy coming out of Ryou's mouth. _Why is he here? _

The side of Bakura's mouth curled up in a wicked grin that Ryou had seen before a million times, he was slightly unnerved to notice that Bakura's canines were still unnaturally pointed.

"I was under the impression that you lived here… Ryou"

"I do live here." Ryou said a little too defiantly. The memories were rushing back, and not the good ones. Bakura was toying with him, mocking him and he hated it. Ryou stood up abruptly causing Bakura to move back.

"It's late." Ryou announced. "I'm going to bed."

He was halfway across the room when a warm hand closed over his wrist pulling him to a halt. "Ryou."

Ryou shook his head and unsuccessfully tried to pull his arm out of Bakura's grasp. He spun around on his heel and took a well-aimed swing at the former spirit. He barely had his arm extended when Bakura had caught it square in his fist.

"Just stop!" Ryou yelled. He was panting now glaring down Bakura with all the hatred and frustration that had been brewing up in him. Bakura's facial expression was still unreadable.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Bakura released Ryou's hand and stepped back with a small shrug. Seemingly affected for the first time. He hadn't even responded but Ryou began to feel guilty.

"I'm sorry I'm just tired," Ryou rambled. "I just can't handle this right now, I mean you never showed up and now you're here? I just… I just need to sleep okay?"

Bakura put his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders forward. "I'll be here then I guess." He muttered and then turned back to glance at the couch and Ryou couldn't name the emotion that swelled up in him.

Ryou couldn't think of anything to fill the silence, so he turned and walked into his room, closing the door slowly behind him before resting his forehead against the wood. His mind spun and he couldn't even begin to process what had just happened.

He didn't know what to feel, how to act, or what to expect. After two long years he had just assumed that he'd never seen Bakura again. It hurt, but he had been okay with that, he had finally been healing. And then all of a sudden he had the nerve to show his face again. Ryou fought his urge to punch the door, and took a deep breath. He turned to crawl into bed, but not before slowly and quietly turning the lock on the door.

He lay in the silence for what felt like hours, sleep eluding him entirely.

* * *

Ryou was awoken by a loud crash, and the sound of heavy swearing. He bolted up out of bed and threw the door open onto the dark living room. There were two bodies wrestling on the floor, and what looked like a smashed lamp discarded on the carpet.

"You fucker!" Ryou heard the familiar screech from Yami as Bakura tossed him off.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Bakura snarled, lunging back at the former pharaoh.

"I live here you piece of shit!" Yami grunted as he was flattened.

The two rolled over again, both landing fairly solid hits on each other, even if Bakura had a significant size advantage.

"Stop!" Ryou shouted, grabbing Yami by the back of his shirt and unsuccessfully trying to pull him off the other man. "What the hell are you two doing?"

Bakura threw Yami off him and stood up seething, spitting onto the carpet. Ryou helped Yami to his feet, even if he attempted to shake Ryou off triumphantly. Bakura winced and held a hand to the back of his head scanning the carpet around him.

"Did you hit me with a fucking lamp?"

Ryou stepped in between the two of them as Yami cackled. "You took it pretty well I'm surprised, you must be even more thickskulled than I thought." Bakura lunged at him again and Ryou was barely able to keep the two men separated.

"Why don't you say that to my face?" Bakura snarled.

"Stop!" Ryou shouted again shoving the two apart with all the strength he could muster. Bakura straightened up and took a step back, while Yami came forward to stand defensively next to Ryou. "What is going on?" Ryou demanded.

"Fucker hit me with a lamp." Bakura spat.

"What are you doing in my house?" Yami seethed.

"Really, your house?" Bakura mocked. "Where's your little pet? Yugi?"

"The both of you stop!" Ryou yelled.

The lingering silence after the shout seemed to calm the scene down a little bit and Ryou eventually lowered his arms. When the silence became borderline awkward, Ryou spoke up. "Yami's my roommate."

Bakura sorted. "Nice."

"What the hell makes you think you can show your face here Bakura?" Yami demanded while resting his hand protectively on Ryou's shoulder.

"It's more complicated than that." Bakura muttered.

"You son of a bitch!" Yami yelled reaching out from around Ryou to try and grab hold of the former spirit. "You have no right to be here after all this time!"

"Yami, please stop." Ryou begged, wrestling against the smaller man. "Please let's just not do this tonight?"

Yami's growl turned into a sigh and he rubbed his face. "Fine. Whatever you want Ryou, I'm going to bed." He took one last glare at the other spirit before stalking off slamming the door loudly behind him.

Bakura groaned and held his hand to the back of his head again. "Are you okay?" Ryou inquired softly.

"I'm fine." Bakura muttered, "He clocked me pretty hard though."

"Will you be okay?" Ryou asked.

"Yeah I'm good," Bakura waved him off casually, turning to look at the couch again. Taking it as a dismissal Ryou moved to return to his room. His hand was on the door when Bakura spoke again.

"Really Ryou? The pharaoh?" Ryou almost smiled despite himself.

"He's not that bad, you know." Ryou closed the door behind him, crawling back under the covers. Once again, sleep didn't come so easy.

* * *

When Ryou's alarm went off he groaned in pain, he was so tired it took him several tries to shut the noise off. A quick hot shower helped, but the events of the night before came rushing back to him halfway through shampooing his hair. Ryou physically shook his head, trying to rid his mind of the thoughts. He just couldn't handle it right now.

The house was dark, and Ryou tip toed quietly through the living room, pausing to inspect Bakura who was asleep on the living room couch. Ryou was almost sure he was faking it though. He tried not to think about the fact that he had to step over a broken lamp in the living room, and then shattered dishes in the kitchen and hall. He skipped breakfast entirely, deciding he'd much rather pick something up at Kaiba Corp.

The commute was extra chilly, and Ryou cursed himself for not bringing his gloves. His life just suddenly seemed so much more complicated than it had the day before. He struggled again to push his concerns into the back of his mind.

The morning hustle and bustle of his new department was thankfully very distracting, but the little free time he had ate at him still. Ryou found himself repeatedly opening, and then crossly closing, his personal email account. After several renditions, he finally settled on composing a new message.

_ Dear Malik, _

_ Things are all of a sudden very strange here. I will call you soon. _

Ryou fired off the message and then immediately regretting being so vague and dramatic. Surely he could talk to Malik of all people about this? But Ryou didn't really know how. In all honesty Ryou had to admit that even after all these years he had hardly talked about Bakura at all, to anyone he knew.

In Yugi's group of friends it had always been an uncomfortable burden he had carried, and they seemed to pity him, and for the most part avoided the topic altogether. Yet growing up so isolated with the spirit, Ryou had to admit that for most of his life his whole world had revolved around the other being. But it had been so shameful, and Bakura had caused so many problems, Ryou had never really discussed it with anyone before. Even now he felt uncomfortable seeking solace from Yugi, especially after his strained relationship with Yami. As far as he knew the only other living person who understood what he might be going through was Malik, even if Ryou doubted he could really help him.

But as the day swung into full grind, such thoughts were banished from Ryou's mind. His new position was much harder than he had given credit, and he was grateful for the distraction from life. It was alarmingly soon that the work day wrapped up.

Once again headed to the familiar train home a knot began twisting itself in Ryou's stomach. He couldn't begin to understand why he felt so nervous, or so anxious, or whatever it was. Something was just very uneasy.

Ryou had immersed himself in his phone when there was a quiet cough next to him, and he looked up abruptly, almost jumping out of his seat in alarm.

Sitting next to him, as casually as any other commuter, was his own former spirit. Ryou was definitely not used to seeing him as a real person, or seeing him again at all really.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ryou seethed, trying to calm his racing heart.

Bakura didn't reply, he just shrugged nonchalantly.

"What are you doing here?" Ryou snapped.

Bakura raised an eyebrow and his mouth upturned in that oh so familiar smirk. "It's called public transportation, Ryou."

Ryou jerked his head to the side, refusing the former spirit the satisfaction of being looked at. "You can't just jump into my life whenever you please, you know"

Bakura chuckled lightly. "Relax Ryou, we're just riding the train."

They didn't speak again as the passenger car rattled on through the Domino night.

* * *

The door of the apartment slammed noisily behind them and Ryou swept dramatically through the hallway, not pausing until he was standing in the middle of the living room, his back to Bakura.

"Where have you been?" Ryou sensed rather than heard Bakura shuffle uncomfortably under the question. Ryou spun on his heel to face the reincarnation, repeating his question more forcefully.

Bakura shrugged, letting his eyes wander over one side of the room but didn't meet his gaze. "Here and there I guess…"

Ryou was hardly satisfied with the answer, but he didn't say anything. He just kept glaring straight at Bakura, waiting for a real response. When none was presented, he moved on.

"How did you find me?"

Bakura didn't provide a verbal answer, but he reached into the inside of his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, offering it to Ryou.

The smaller male took it, and examined it. It was extremely worn, having been unfolded and refolded countless times. He carefully pulled it open and realized he was staring at his own words. Ryou recognized the paper as an envelope he had mailed a card to Malik in. In the upper lefthand corner in his own neat handwriting, was the return address of his apartment.

"How did you get this?" Ryou asked even though he already knew the answer.

Seemingly satisfied with the state of Ryou's temper, Bakura moved to seat himself on the couch, and rather strangely gestured for the other to join him, to which Ryou grudgingly complied.

"Well, I guess I saw Marik briefly…" Bakura offered.

"I sent this to Malik." Ryou pointed out, halfheartedly wondering why he was pushing the former spirit for answers he could already guess.

"Yeah, well…" Bakura shrugged. "They kinda live together now, you must know that."

Ryou nodded that he did. "Malik just gave this to you?" He asked.

"Not exactly." Bakura scoffed darkly. "He really didn't even want me in the house, technically I nicked it."

"Why am I not surprised…" Ryou muttered, turning the envelope over to examine the other side, even though he knew nothing was there.

"So you went to Egypt?" He asked.

"Yeah." Bakura muttered. "I guess it just made sense, you know?"

"I guess that does make sense." Ryou repeated quietly to himself.

In all honestly Ryou hardly knew anything about Bakura's connection to Egypt. He understood very well that the former spirit was some form of an ancient thief, but it wasn't something Bakura had ever spent much time disclosing.

"Malik talked about you a lot." Bakura offered. "I didn't know you two were such good friends."

"Yeah." Ryou said softly. "I guess it just made sense, you know?"

Bakura's face changed into an expression that might have even been a soft smile if Ryou didn't know any better.

After what might have been an hour of thoughtful silence, Ryou finally asked the question he wasn't sure he wanted to answer to. "So why are you here?"

Bakura broke eye contact with him and let his gaze wander unseeing over the sparse furnishings of the apartment.

"I don't know." He said truthfully.

Ryou couldn't decide if he was offended by the comment or not. But he thought he might understand what the spirit was getting at. They had lived literally inside of each other for almost a decade, Ryou was sure if he had really known where Bakura had been, he would have felt drawn to him, regardless of what may have happened. But it had been years.

"You could have called or something." Ryou's voice regained some of the steel it had been harboring.

If it was possible Bakura seemed to be trying even harder to avoid eye contact with him.

"I didn't know…" Bakura trailed off, mentally appearing very distant. He turned back to focus his sharp gaze on Ryou.

"I have always been a loner." He stated. "Thousands of years of habit is hard to break."

Ryou wasn't sure what to say to that, but figured it was the most he was likely to get out of the reserved reincarnation.

He wondered if he should tell Bakura that he had missed him. It seemed like a natural reaction to the situation, but inside himself Ryou still wondered if he had actually missed his darker half. _Did I want you to be there? Or did I just expect you to be?_

He stood and brushed some imaginary dust from his pants. "I need to make dinner."

Bakura didn't offer to help, but Ryou was hardly surprised by that. The former spirit did eventually enter the kitchen when he was almost finished, seeming to gravitate towards the smell of meat in the pan.

Ryou wasn't disappointed as Bakura definitely seemed to still have his taste for meat, putting down more than his fair share in a shockingly short period of time. Ryou had never really had the opportunity to observe his former spirit eat, and was mildly alarmed by the speed at which he consumed his food.

Ryou kept checking his phone regularly, concerned about having Yami and Bakura under the same roof again. The two had always been intense enemies, but Ryou wondered how far that animosity would go now. After all the time and everything that had happened, it seemed so small to Ryou now to hold grudges, even if they had the most unusual past. Still, Ryou himself wasn't exactly sure what Bakura was up to.

* * *

Things didn't become any clearer the next morning when Ryou awoke to a completely empty living room. The only sign that Bakura hadn't just been a figment of his imagination, was a worn piece of paper laying as flat as it could be made to be, resting on one side of the couch. Ryou picked up the old envelope and squinted, flicking on the remaining working lamp in order to read the text scrawled on the back of the paper.

_Gone for a while - Be back soon._

There was no signature but Ryou didn't need one. He marveled for a moment at the surprising elegance of the familiar handwriting, before sighing in defeat. _How long was a while? Days? Weeks? Years?_

Ryou wasn't quite sure how Bakura measured time, especially considering he had existed in some form for millennia. Frustrated, he crumpled up the note and tossed it angrily back on the couch.

"Just stay away." Ryou hissed quietly to the empty room. He wasn't sure how he felt about the unfamiliar churning of emotions brewing in him.

_He won't ever be anything but trouble. _Ryou reminded himself silently.

* * *

All in all, Ryou could easily say that he was enjoying his new job. It was fast paced and had a flair of excitement his previous positions hadn't. For being his personal assistant so to speak, Ryou hardly saw anything of his boss Katashi, who was still very busy dealing with some American market issues. Most of Ryou's duties were self explanatory, and the only real instruction he received came by email. Reguardless the other employees in his new department seemed quite taken by Katashi, and Ryou was satisfied that the man was well liked.

It was early afternoon when Ryou had his day considerably improved by a familiar visitor. He must have grown at least a foot in the last few years, but he was still full of such bounding enthusiasm, it was absolutely contagious. Ryou wasn't sure if it was possible for Mokuba Kaiba to be any more opposite of his older brother.

"Mokuba!" Ryou exclaimed, standing up from his desk. "What are you doing here?"

The kid just grinned and laughed before throwing his arms around the white haired boy. Ryou was surprised, but couldn't deny that he was very happy to get to see the youngest Kaiba again. His hair was even longer and more unruly if that was possible, and Ryou wondered how his clean cut older brother tolerated it. Although he was pretty sure his highest boss was incapable of denying the boy anything at all.

"I heard a rumor you were up here now." Mokuba whispered conspiratorially.

"Yeah." Ryou said, feeling embarrassed for some reason. "Shouldn't you be in school?" He teased playfully.

Mokuba rolled his eyes dramatically. "Nah, out early today thank god."

"And yet still managing to cause trouble." The much deeper voice of Mokuba's older brother rang out through the small department's entryway. He glided up behind his younger sibling, who he still towered over, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Seto!" Mokuba whined, "I'm just talking to Ryou."

"I can see that." Kaiba commented, but the observation had a softer air to it as his tone always did when dealing with his brother.

Mokuba grinned back at Ryou. "I'm making Seto take me to dinner!"

"Well, isn't that nice of him." Ryou smiled.

Mokuba leaned in towards him and managed to whisper quite loudly. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Seto might work a little too much."

Ryou giggled inspire of himself, and he could almost swear Kaiba cracked the smallest of smiles. He did notice that the CEO looked much more relaxed than he had the last time he saw him, and just seemed younger while bantering playfully with his little brother.

"Alright, lets get out of here before you get any smaller." Kaiba quipped, attempting to steer the kid in the right direction.

"Ryou." He nodded in the new secretaries direction.

"Kaiba." Ryou smiled at the business tycoon he was now seeing for the second time in one week.

"Wait!" Mokuba called out, skirting around his brother and dashing back up to Ryou's desk, where he seized a piece of scrap paper and a pen, and hastily scribbled out a number.

"Call me!" He said, stuffing the paper into Ryou's hands before taking off down the hall after his brother, turning to wave back at Ryou when he had caught up.

Ryou returned his wave and giggled to himself. It was nice to see that some things would never change.

* * *

Yami groaned and ran a hand through his hair, trying to shake off the exhaustion that was eating at him. It was just so hard to sleep well in that apartment when you had to constantly keep one eye open in case that damn thief tried anything. _Good god of all the people…_

Stretching his sore shoulders out one last time, the wild haired young man returned to the kitchen, stacking himself high with plates before moving his balancing act into the dining room. A few years ago working as a waiter would have seemed like an absurd outcome to his life, but this was what it all came down to now. Even if he had the proper legal documentation, Yami doubted he would even know what to do with himself.

_What a strange way this world works. _He mused to himself. Fortunately customer service was one of his talents, and with his competitive edge, Yami was excelling in his dead end menial job.

Tonight was as busy as any other, but Yami caught himself behind a group of the female servers, who were attempting to disguise their pointing and fits of giggles.

"Whats going on?" Yami asked, standing on his tip toes in an unsuccessful attempt to see over the many heads.

"He's so handsome!" One of the girls crooned.

"Quick! Someone go talk to him!" Another one of the girls hissed.

"Talk to who?" Yami asked, still trying to see over the girls.

"Perfect, send Yami!" One of the girls whispered, and some of the others seemed to agree, shoving a couple menus into his hands before pushing him unceremoniously out of the group, and into the center of the dining room.

Yami's eyes were instantly drawn to the table they had been gossiping over, and the bottom dropped out of his stomach. He was seized by two equally powerful urges, one to flee the scene and return to hiding behind the girls, and one to take the menus and introduce them to Seto Kaiba's face. Hard.

Unfortunately he wasn't able to make either decision, because he had already been spotted.

"Yami!" Mokuba called out, waving enthusiastically over at him.

* * *

Seto hadn't bothered to look up from intently examining his email until his brother had called out. His eyes snapped up to the waiter, and he couldn't have stopped himself from breaking into his trademark smirk.

"Well, well, well…" He drawled, looking the former king of games up and down. "What have we here?"

Yami narrowed his eyes, but didn't make any motion to move closer to the table. Mokuba had been silenced by the thick tension, and nervously eyed the two rivals. Kaiba raised an eyebrow when he got no response.

"You do speak, don't you?" He sneered.

The former spirit bristled and muttered something under his breath before stalking over to the table and slamming the menu's down with such force that water sloshed from the glasses. Up closer now Kaiba could see that this wasn't exactly the Yami he had remembered. And Kaiba made sure to familiarize himself with his biggest competitors.

He was amused to see that the former spirit hadn't grown at all, still on the shorter side. But he was darker skinned, much darker than Yugi had ever been, and there was something even more exotic about his face now. His hair was still multicolored and vibrant, but it did seem a little longer, and gravity was having a little more effect on it. Kaiba had always known Yami to wear that stupid school uniform and seeing him in snug black pants and a white dress shirt was almost off-putting.

_Oh how the might have fallen. _He mused.

Yami seemed to have composed himself and was speaking now, even through gritted teeth. Kaiba hardly listened, focusing instead on staring his former rival down, as he rattled off specials and refused to make eye contact with the taller man. At the end of his presentation, he forced a polite smile, though it didn't reach his burning eyes.

Mokuba opened his mouth to say something, but didn't as he looked cautiously back and forth between the two young men.

* * *

Yami hurried away from the table, barreling his way through the gang of girls still crowding the doorway, forcing his way into the back kitchen. He jammed his palms up against his eyes and swore loudly. He stalked over to the break room and seized his jacket, hurriedly slipping it on before making his way to the back door.

"Yami wait!" The manager called after him.

"Not tonight Marcus," Yami growled. "Get somebody else to help them, I have to go." With that he stepped out into the night, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Ryou jumped up from the couch as he heard the front door slam close with a crash. He could hear Yami in the kitchen, swearing violently to himself, some even in a language Ryou didn't recognize.

"Yami what's wrong?" He asked, hurrying into the kitchen quite alarmed.

"Nothing." Yami groaned throwing himself ungracefully into a chair. "Not a damn thing."

"Really?" Ryou asked, knowing Yami's flair for dramatics. The ancient pharaoh sighed, resting his face in his hands.

"I think I might be fired." He muttered.

'What happened?" Ryou asked.

Yami lay his head back against the wall with a thump and stared up at the ceiling. "Kaiba happened."

"Kaiba?" Ryou asked. "Like Seto Kaiba?"

"Of course," Yami groaned. "Who else?"

"Wait you saw him at work?" It dawned on Ryou that Mokuba had told him they were going out, but there were so many restaurants in Domino it wasn't like he'd expected that.

"Yeah," Yami muttered. "Made a damn fool of myself too."

"What did he do?" Ryou asked.

"You know, the usual arrogant Kaiba bullshit." Yami gestured his hands around violently.

"I actually saw him earlier today." Ryou mused.

"Yeah well, you weren't exactly busing his damn table." Yami stood and wandered out of the room.

Ryou stared after him taking some time to think. He knew how humiliating it would have been for Yami, who was used besting Kaiba at almost everything, to be caught working a minimum wage job. And Ryou knew better than to expect Kaiba not to take the opportunity to bully him for it. Still, it seemed inevitable considering Domino wasn't really that large, and the two young rivals tended to stick out of a crowd wherever they went. He was mildly cross, considering he had just started to think very highly of his CEO.

When he wandered back into the living room he heard Yami shout through the bathroom door. "Where's the other bastard?"

Ryou knew instinctually that he was talking about Bakura, and he wandered over to the couch, picking up the crumpled note and stowing it away in his pocket before calling back over his shoulder. "Not here I guess."

"Really?" Yami asked peeking his head around the door. "Where'd he go?"

Ryou tried to shrug as casually as possible. "No idea. Had something to do I guess."

Yami narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Yeah I bet he did." With that he closed the door, and Ryou wandered off towards bed, sure that once again sleep wouldn't come easy.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Note: My apologies for the wait.**_

* * *

Ryou paused while cooking his Sunday morning breakfast, interrupted by the ring of the phone. It was almost startling, especially since it was rather rare that anyone would call.

"Hello?" Ryou yawned little still trying to shake off the sleepy tone to his voice.

"Ryou!" A high pitched squeak exclaimed. "You can't just leave me hanging like that! I've been dying here."

Ryou giggled at the exasperated voice of his familiar friend.

"Ryou!" Malik repeated. "Tell me whats going on!"

"Good morning to you too Malik." Ryou teased.

"Morning my ass," Malik muttered, "It's almost sundown here!"

Sometimes Ryou forgot just how far away his friend was.

"What are you talking about?" He whined.

Ryou didn't register whatever reply Malik gave because in one cold moment he realized exactly what his friend was talking about. _Was it a good idea to tell him about Bakura?_ Ryou couldn't see why not but somehow it seemed dangerous to acknowledge the former spirits presence. But he couldn't exactly stay silent any longer.

"I saw Bakura…" Ryou mumbled quietly. There was a loud crash and a string of expletives on the line.

"What?" Malik screeched. Ryou couldn't tell if he was happy or upset.

"Put that son of a bitch on right now." Malik demanded.

"Well," Ryou said quietly, "He's not exactly here now."

"What do you mean he's not there?" Malik asked.

"He was sorta here, and then he sorta left." Ryou didn't understand why he was feeling so guilty.

"Left where exactly?" The egyptian wondered.

"No idea." Ryou hoped he was coming off as casual. "He just said he'd be gone for a while."

"Where the hell does a guy like him have to go?" Malik didn't seem very pleased. Ryou honestly had no idea and he doubted it was anything either pleasant or lawful.

"Do you think he'll come back?" The question stung Ryou a little bit, but he was sure Malik hadn't meant it that way.

"I couldn't say." Ryou said with a sigh. "He's been here you know, but not like actually here, he's really distant and strange."

"Yeah…" Malik said in a far-away voice. "It's really odd seeing them as a separate person, you know?" Ryou felt a rush of gratitude that Malik was one of the few people who understood exactly the situation he was in. He had contemplated talking to Yami about the discomfort of it all, but Yugi always seemed like a sore topic between them.

"I don't know what to do." Ryou said quietly.

"I didn't know what to do either the first time I saw Marik, I thought I was going crazy, almost had a heart attack." Ryou felt a twinge of jealousy that Marik had sought Malik out so quickly.

"It was weird for sure," Malik continued. "But we knew each other so well, you know? When the awkwardness faded we just sort of clicked."

Ryou blushed a little reminded that Malik was in an actual _relationship_ of some kind with his darker half. He had always half understood that Yami and Yugi might have been as well at some point, but it never seemed like something he could just ask about.

It was just, well… _Bakura_.

"Promise you'll call me the minute he turns up again?" Malik asked.

"Yeah…" Ryou replied absentmindedly, his thoughts still swirling around the former spirit.

"Good." The egyptian seemed satisfied. "I'm sorry Ryou I have to run, I'll call you tomorrow!"

The line went dead abruptly, and Ryou returned to his breakfast, a strange uneasy feeling settling in his stomach. The conversation hadn't exactly made him feel any better.

Unlike the excitement of the previous week, Ryou saw no more of Kaiba at work. The initial excitement of his new job had worn down and the duties were becoming monotonous and labored once more. He kept the note Mokuba had given him with his number on the desk, but hadn't even made any attempt to call. It seemed rude, but Ryou couldn't even begin to imagine anything he should have to say to the younger Kaiba. Ryou made a note to himself that he should take the time to contact him on his birthday each year, but wasn't sure how to go about finding out when Mokuba's birthday actually was. But maybe something like that was too weird, it had been so long since they had shared anything in common.

Although he had originally liked Mr. Katashi very much, Ryou's opinion of him was beginning to wane. Ryou had been charmed by his overly friendly demeanor at first, but the more time he spent in the office the more Ryou was put off by his flirtatious mannerisms. Twice now he had insisted Ryou join him for lunch, and Ryou had to work very hard to politely decline his invitation.

Katashi also always seemed to intrude on Ryou's personal space when he stopped by the desk, and it made Ryou downright uncomfortable. He wasn't quite sure what Kaiba Corp's official definition of sexual harassment was, but there were some days where he was sure Katashi was pushing the line. He had voiced his concerns to a coworker but she had just laughed it off, agreeing that he was too cheeky with some employees, but you just had to tolerate it because he was still very generous with promotions. Ryou wasn't sure how he felt about maintaining Katashi's good favor.

Ryou preferred the office when he was gone, but regardless of his preferences, work rolled on day by day.

Ryou had been mulling his conversation with Malik over in his head while picking at his dinner later that week, when Yami arrived home. Ryou watched him tinker in the kitchen for a while before voicing a question he finally had the nerve to ask.

"What was it like when you first saw Yugi?"

Yami seemed frozen for a moment but his shoulders slumped a little as he sighed.

"You're asking the wrong person." He answered, turning to look at Ryou.

"I was just then a person again." He ran a hand through his hair but still looked thoughtful. "I was so consumed by that, I don't think it was that weird to me, seeing Yugi, because everything was so weird and off-putting in those moments."

Ryou hadn't really thought about it from a former spirits viewpoint before.

"But you went straight to Yugi right?" Ryou asked.

Yami nodded. "Of course, it was the only real stable thing I knew at that point."

Ryou didn't say anything more as he stared at his dinner, his appetite completely gone. Yami crossed the small room and pulled out a chair, settling himself across from Ryou at the table.

"This is about Bakura isn't it?" Yami asked.

Ryou nodded but continued to stare at his food. He wasn't really sure he wanted to have this conversation.

"Look," Yami continued. "I don't know why Bakura didn't come back and I don't know why he came back the other day. But I can tell you that it was an extremely unnerving and confusing experience from this end of the transaction."

Ryou finally looked up to Yami and gathered his wits around him. "Yeah, but you and Marik handled it so differently. I mean I know Bakura wasn't ever exactly the nicest-" Yami interrupted him with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Yes, Bakura's an asshole." He said in a matter of fact sort of way. "But I know what it's like to be attached to someone like that, and I am sure you were just as close as Yugi and I, regardless of what type of person he was."

"You and Yugi didn't work out very well." Ryou pointed out. He would have expected Yami to seem hurt, but he didn't, not that Ryou could see. He absentmindedly flicked a strand of bright yellow hair out of his face.

"Well," Yami admitted. "Yugi solved the puzzle, and he got what he got with me. We had to work together well to survive living in one body, and we complimented eachother, but when the necessity was gone…"

"I put the ring on." Ryou reminded him. "I got Bakura."

Yami rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "I'm not so sure about that. There was so much talk about the fate and destiny of the thing." He waved his hand again as if to assure Ryou that he didn't put so much stock in the whole greater plan mumbo jumbo.

"Because Yugi was fated to end up with me," Yami continued, "you were born as a lighter half of the spirit of Bakura, in order to house him, so to speak."

Ryou was beginning to grow offended. "So you think I was just a shell for him to inhabit, not even a real person?"

Yami held his hand up. "That's not what I meant, you are definitely an independent person regardless of wether you would have ever even encountered Bakura."

"Then what are you saying?" Ryou asked.

Yami spoke very slowly and deliberately. "Yugi and I may just have been luck and good teamwork. But you and Bakura, and from my understanding Malik and Marik may have been much deeper than that."

Ryou was taken aback by the insight, but wasn't exactly sure he believed a thing like that. He had always felt like the lighter human being in his relationship with Bakura, but he would never consider himself as a reflection of Bakura's existence.

"Do you really believe that?" He asked.

Yami shrugged. "I'm not sure, but thats the way it was explained to me once."

"I don't even know why you would want him around anyway," Yami continued, "I'd honestly rather live with a dozen feral cats than that bastard."

Ryou chuckled in spite of himself and the mood lightened considerably.

"But really Ryou," Yami said smiling. "It's whatever makes you happy."

"I doubt he'll come back anyway." Ryou admitted.

"Ah well," Yami grinned. "If he does we still have one good lamp left."

Ryou snorted, and wondered why the miniature former pharaoh never picked fights with anyone his own size.

For the next month work went well. Dull and ever-present, but well. Ryou had been ever increasingly working on projects close to Katashi, and unfortunately was getting to be quite familiar with the man.

On a Wednesday evening Ryou was sitting at home composing an email to Malik, they were discussing Marik's refusal to trade his motorcycle for a more practical car, when the doorbell rang. This was surprising because in all honestly, Ryou couldn't remember the last time someone had rang their doorbell. Had Yami forgotten his key? But it wasn't time for him to be home. Ryou would have expected it to be Bakura, but asking for permission to enter the house didn't seem like a thing he'd do.

When Ryou did open the front door, he was equally surprised and disappointed. Mr. Katashi was standing grinning on his doorstep, dressed in a full suit that was far too nice for the neighborhood, holding what seemed to be a bottle of wine.

"My dear Ryou!" He greeted warmly, sweeping past a stunned Ryou and into the apartment.

"Uh hello…" Ryou replied, staring dumbstruck at the back of his boss now strolling down his front hallway.

"You didn't return my calls tonight." Ryou heard him shout from somewhere he assumed was the kitchen. "So I was in the neighborhood and I thought I'd drop by, see how my dear assistant was doing."

Ryou had actually received his three voicemails, but had decided not to address the issues until the following workday. He had trotted after his boss into the kitchen but was still unsure of what to say. How did Katashi know where he lived? Was Kaiba Corp just handing that information out?

Katashi had already pulled two wine glasses from the cupboard and was filling them before Ryou had any chance to object. He shoved a glass into Ryou's hand, who accepted it ungratefully. Katashi made himself quite at home at Ryou's kitchen table and gestured dramatically for Ryou to join him. Ryou wondered if his boss had been drinking already.

The man reached over the table and grasped both of Ryou's hands, who tried to pull them back, but Katashi's grip was quite firm.

"Well Ryou, isn't this nice?" He asked with a sloppy smile.

"I'm sorry," Ryou commented sternly, attempting and failing once more to pull his hands out of the grip. "I don't understand why you're here exactly." The same sloppy smile stayed glued to Katashi's face, which was really starting to unnerve Ryou.

"This is nice." He commented again, seeming to ignore Ryou's question.

Ryou opened his mouth to take a much more direct approach, but was cut off by his boss's phone ringing. Without so much as a glance at Ryou, Katashi opened it and stood from the table, starting up a loud and obnoxious conversation with someone Ryou assumed was a business partner, completely ignoring his assistant now standing on the other side of the room. The conversation went on for almost a half hour. Ryou grew more annoyed and confused by the second but wasn't sure if interrupting was a good idea, considering Katashi's attention had left him for the time being. Still, he didn't stray from the kitchen. When Katashi finally finished up the call, he seemed surprised to notice that Ryou was in the room.

"Where is your restroom?" He asked politely while swaying ever so slightly on his feet. Ryou pointed back down the hall in the right direction, but didn't say anything as his boss wandered off. For the few minutes he was gone from the kitchen, Ryou began to panic slightly. He called Yami, but as was to be expected he didn't pick up on his shift. What else was he supposed to do? Was it totally unreasonable to call the police on his own boss?

Just then Ryou heard the unmistakeable sound of the apartment front door opening and closing, and he furrowed his eyebrows. Had Katashi just left? That seemed odd. But there were boot steps, the sound of heavy feet in the entranceway, and then the sound of another door opening and more footsteps, and in a split second Ryou put together what was about to happen before it did.

"Who the hell are you?" Bakura's harsh voice carried down the hall.

"Oh hello, who are you?" Asked a second, somewhat more pleasant voice.

Ryou hurried down the hall until he was standing behind Katashi in the narrow space. Bakura was standing on the other side, wearing his black coat, his hair wild and arms crossed. He loomed ever so slightly over Katashi and looked downright pissed, a truly menacing sight.

"Bakura." Ryou breathed in relief. His former spirit's dark red eyes snapped to him for a brief moment before returning to glare at the other man.

"You look so alike," Katashi mused, seemingly unperturbed by Bakura's demeanor. "You must be related to my dear Ryou." He said cheerfully, holding out his hand to the reincarnation. Bakura didn't even glance at the offered limb.

"Who the hell are you?" He repeated, a colder edge in his voice.

"Ryou is my good friend." Katashi said hesitantly, seeming to become more aware of Bakura's hostility. Katashi groped around in the air behind him before catching hold of Ryou's wrist, and pulling him forward rather harshly when Ryou resisted, making him cry out. Ryou bumped into his boss's back before the body was suddenly gone.

Bakura had seized the man by the front, and in a display of impressive strength slammed him into the wall. The drywall crunched, and Katashi groaned in pain. Bakura lifted him back up by the front of his shirt.

"I don't think he asked you to touch him." Bakura snarled in the man's face before throwing him forwards towards the door. Katashi stumbled but managed to catch himself on the entranceway table. He straightened and brushed a little drywall from his jacket, silently looking back and forth between Bakura and Ryou. Then he turned without a word and exited the apartment hastily, letting the door slam behind him.

Bakura snorted and swept past Ryou without saying anything, leaving the other boy to gape after him. Ryou examined the now damaged wall before following the former spirit into the kitchen.

"You need to lock that door." Bakura said casually from over by the sink.

"I doubt that would stop you." Ryou quipped. Bakura didn't look amused.

"It woulda stopped him." The taller man pointed out.

"Well technically I let him in… unfortunately." Ryou certainly regretted the decision.

"Who is he?" Bakura asked, now helping himself to the wine bottle left abandoned on the counter.

"That's my boss." Ryou said. "I don't know what he was doing showing up here though." He added.

"A drunk mess." Bakura muttered. "Kaiba's hiring trash like that then?"

"Well he's a good manager." Ryou defended. "But he was really out of line tonight."

Bakura took a swig straight from the bottle, and then turned the glass over and frowned at the label. "It seems Kaiba's paying the scumbag well." He muttered before draining the rest.

Ryou picked up the two glasses left on the table with distaste and emptied them into the sink before beginning to wash them. When he had finished and was drying his hands he turned to Bakura with the slight smile. "Thank you though," he said sincerely. "I wasn't quite sure how to get rid of him for a moment." Ryou had forgotten entirely about the damage done to the wall.

Bakura snorted quietly and held out his hand, palm up. Ryou stared at it for a moment before looking at Bakura, confused.

"Give me your phone." He clarified.

"Oh." Ryou said, still confused. Nevertheless he pulled his phone from his pocket and placed it in the outstretched palm. Bakura flipped it open and began pressing buttons rapidly. He returned it to Ryou, and the smaller boy was startled when their fingers touched, so unused to a Bakura in the flesh. He raised an eyebrow questioningly in his best impression of the darker spirit.

"It's my number." He stated. Bakura reached into a breast pocket and slid a cell phone half way out as if to prove he actually had one. Ryou did note that it was a much more expensive model than anything Ryou himself had ever owned.

"Oh." Ryou smiled. "Thank you."

Bakura nodded politely and then moved from the room, settling himself into the living room couch and picking up the remote. Ryou sat down beside him and watched curiously as he flipped mindlessly through whatever channels.

"You're back." Ryou commented. Bakura turned and eyed him curiously with his dark red, almost unnatural, eyes.

"I am." He said calmly.

"I don't suppose you'd tell me where you've been?" It was a serious question but Ryou smiled a bit to show that he meant no harm.

Bakura chuckled. "Some other time Ryou, some other time."

Ryou supposed he should be satisfied with that. He turned his attention back to the television, but Bakura eyed him for a while longer before averting his own gaze. When the news channel Bakura had settled on became uninteresting Ryou inspected his wrist, stretching where it ached slightly from being jerked. To his surprise Bakura reached out and held his wrist, taking his hand and moving it in various ways, as if inspecting for any serious injuries.

"It's not bad." Ryou told him, feeling horribly embarrassed that he started to blush slightly from the physical contact. If Bakura noticed, he didn't show any sign. He seemed satisfied with the wrist though, and released it.

"The real problem will be work tomorrow." Ryou realized with a sigh.

"The problem is he's a total ass." Ryou wanted to laugh at the remark, but the seriousness of what had happened was starting to sink in.

"You physically assaulted my boss." Ryou groaned, wondering in what ways it could make his job worse.

Bakura just chuckled placed his arm up on the back of the couch, settling himself in more comfortably. "Deserved it." He smirked.

Yami showed up a few hours later, he didn't seem all that surprised to see Ryou and Bakura sitting together in the living room, but only rolled his eyes muttering, "good God" as he wandered into his own room.

"He seems like fun." Bakura commented lightly from his side of the couch. Ryou laughed, and Bakura turned to look at him, a genuine smile on his face. Ryou couldn't help it and smiled himself. He felt like a weight was being lifted off him, getting to be so casual and familiar with Bakura. It reminded Ryou of when he was real young, before all the nonsense had started, when Bakura was just a strange observer in his life.

Ryou wondered how long a thing like that could last.

Unfortunately, Ryou was not surprised when he was called up to Kaiba's office almost immediately after arriving for work.

_I'm really in it now. _He thought to himself while nervously picking at his nails on the long elevator ride up to the top of the tower. He wondered how much patience and flexibility Kaiba could have with him, even if they were old friends. That was if Kaiba even considered him a friend. Ryou was pretty sure Bakura had attacked Mokuba at some point, and Ryou doubted Kaiba would ever let a thing like that go. Ryou knew the one thing Kaiba cared for most in the world was Mokuba.

Once again the CEO almost entirely ignored Ryou's entrance, wrapped up in something on his computer. His hands flew across the keyboard at an alarming pace. Ryou still thought the glasses looked a little odd on him. At least he wasn't wearing the white suit today. After a few minutes Kaiba paused in what he was doing, sighing as he removed the glasses from his face and focused his attention on Ryou, who fiddled with his hands nervously. Kaiba smirked as if he found something greatly amusing.

"So apparently," he drawled, "It's worth making a formal complaint that you have a murderous evil twin running amuck in your own residence." Ryou felt himself go a little pink, but Kaiba continued as if he found the whole thing naught but entertaining.

"I'm used to ignoring this kind of dramatic bullshit from Katashi, but in this case I think he might have gotten somewhere near the truth." Ryou felt sheepish under his gaze, he was sure Kaiba was smart enough to know exactly who Katashi had been referring too. Ryou knew he should do his best to apologize but Kaiba didn't give him the opportunity.

"Honestly I wouldn't mind much if Bakura had actually killed him, so I could hire someone who doesn't feel the need to waste my time with incessant memos like this." He held up the offending piece of paper, which seemed to contain a very lengthy message.

"Bakura wouldn't have killed him, he barely hurt him." Ryou defended.

"Shame." Kaiba muttered.

"How did Katashi know where I lived?" Ryou asked.

Kaiba shrugged. "High level Kaiba Corp employees have access to that kind of personal information."

"He didn't exactly come over for a business transaction." Ryou pointed out.

Kaiba nodded slightly and flipped through a couple pieces of paper on his neat and well organized desk. "Yes Katashi is known for bending the rules as far as he can. His days here are numbered, but I need his talents for the time being."

Ryou was mildly offended that Kaiba knew what a problem Katashi could be but was turning a blind eye to it for his own advantages. Still, he couldn't argue with Kaiba's success rate.

"Am I in trouble?" He asked.

Kaiba stared down at him. "I will not insult my intelligence by suggesting you have any ability to control Bakura."

"Oh." Ryou said. It was true, he doubted he could have prevented the incident even if he had wanted to.

Kaiba's eyes scanned over the memo now flat on his desk. "Katashi has requested that I transfer you." Ryou wasn't much surprised by that information. "But I'm going to deny it for the time being, I have much more important things to do than solve his petty problems."

"Thank you." Ryou said quietly. He didn't feel particularly grateful, especially considering continuing to work for Katashi wasn't exactly a pleasant idea. But he had the suspicious feeling that allowing him to keep his job was generous from Kaiba's standpoint. Ryou was struck by how monumental it was that he could sit here and have such a casual conversation with such a powerful man. He had always known Kaiba to look down at most of his employees. Ryou felt his confidence swell a little in his chest.

Something dawned on him. "I heard you saw Yami." He interjected as calmly as possible. Kaiba's eyes snapped to him, and his demeanor became instantly stiffer.

"Yes." He said rigidly.

"He lives with me." Ryou explained trying to backpedal out of Kaiba's sudden behavioral change.

"Interesting." Kaiba noted, but he didn't seem to warm up much.

"Yeah we're roommates…" Ryou trailed off desperately scanning around for a new topic, but Kaiba beat him to it.

"Why do you want to work for Kaiba Corp?" Whatever confidence Ryou possessed had just been leveled in a matter of seconds.

"I enjoy it?" Ryou offered. He wasn't sure what to say. Upon graduation he had been desperate for employment, and Kaiba Corp had been his most promising option.

Kaiba was staring him down now. "You aren't exactly the cutthroat business mogul type." Ryou hesitated. That was true he doubted he would ever have the ruthless ambition to be anyone like Kaiba. But what was he supposed to say? He enjoyed working for Kaiba Corp, and it was crucial that he remained employed.

"You seem to do well with what you do," Kaiba continued, "But you'll never advance far."

He felt cut by the finality of Kaiba's prediction. But he could hardly come up with a solid counter argument. "I'm not sure what you're suggesting." Ryou admitted.

Kaiba was still staring at him, but it seemed more thoughtful now. "Without further education, your potential here at Kaiba Corp is certainly limited." Ryou thought that was a fair point.

"I had originally intended to continue school." Ryou wasn't sure how declaring this defended his current situation, but it seemed crucial to explain to Kaiba that he had wanted to better himself.

"What prevented you?" Kaiba asked.

Ryou shrugged. "Money, it just wasn't really an option by the time I graduated." He felt embarrassed admitting to someone as wealthy as Kaiba that he couldn't afford something like that. But something else had occurred to him.

"You didn't go to college." Ryou pointed out. He was worried after it came out of his mouth that Kaiba would be offended, but the young CEO just smirked.

"True." He admitted. "I try not to waste my time." Ryou wasn't about to argue with that, no one could say that lack of formal education was seeming to hold Kaiba back. Ryou had witnessed his intelligence and business prowess up close for many years and the only person he had ever known to give Kaiba any challenge at all was Yami.

"Why don't you take some time off." Kaiba sighed, as he returned his attention back to the memo. "I'll decide my next move with Katashi in the meantime." Ryou thought this must be an exceptionally generous offer by Kaiba.

"Thank you." He said sincerely. Some time off would be a huge relief, especially considering all that was currently going on in his life. "And I am sorry about Bakura, you just know how he is…" Ryou added.

Kaiba smirked. "Yes, I do."

The subway ride home was a fair bit calmer in the early morning. Much less hustle and bustle, just a few people going about their business. Ryou wondered when he would be returning to work, he hoped it would be soon, even if Kaiba hadn't given any indication, he really desperately needed to stay employed. He had no idea what exactly he would do when he got home, and he didn't know if he expected to see Bakura or not. He had no idea what his darker half got himself into while Ryou was away and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know.

The apartment seemed empty when he got to it. He knew that Yami should still be asleep at this point, but there was no sign of Bakura. Was he disappointed? Ryou couldn't decide. He wandered into his own room and stripped off his stiff work attire, finding something more comfortable, and letting his hair free from the somewhat professional ponytail he had attempted. He fussed with his hair in the mirror, trying to get it to behave. For a guilty moment he tried to puff it up in the front, in a weak imitation of Bakura's hair. It didn't look even remotely impressive on him, and he wished for a moment that he could be seen as a little more intimidating sometimes. _Bakura never lets himself get pushed around. _He mused.

Ryou wasn't quite sure what to do with himself in his sudden free time, and settled for a book he had been intending to finish for almost a year. But it failed to pull him in, and Ryou could feel a sense of anticipation growing in him. He tried to shake it off the best he could.

Bakura didn't keep him waiting long, strolling into the kitchen around noon, as if he had lived there all his life. He tossed a backpack he had brought in slung over his shoulder onto a chair, and Ryou was startled by the loud clanging noise it made. He almost asked, but decided against it. He picked an apple up off the counter and ripped a large chunk out of it with his teeth, walking right past Ryou without so much as a word. Ryou followed him into the other room and watched as he flopped onto the couch with a sigh, apple in hand.

"Rough day?" Ryou asked curiously. Bakura eyed him in that calculating way he always did. "What are you doing home?" He asked casually, completely ignoring Ryou's question.

"I got sent home." Ryou admitted. Bakura sat up straighter and eyed him more seriously.

"Did you get fired?" He asked. The thought seemed to anger him.

"No." Ryou said, and he felt the relief wash over him as he acknowledged it. "Katashi wasn't very happy though."

"Prick." Bakura muttered.

"Actually," Ryou mused, "Kaiba was really pleasant about the whole thing."

Bakura looked confused. "Kaiba dealt with you?"

Ryou nodded. "I know its weird." He admitted. "I hadn't so much as seen him in years, and in the past month I've had a good half dozen conversations with him."

"That doesn't really seem like Kaiba." Bakura pointed out as he relaxed into the couch and rubbed his forehead. "Why do you work for him?" He asked.

Ryou felt blind sighted once again, now having been asked the big question he had never really thought about twice in the same day.

"I needed a job." He replied, he felt he could be a little more honest with Bakura than he had been with Kaiba.

"Yeah but Kaiba Corp?" Bakura asked, gesturing with his apple core for emphasis.

"I didn't have very many options after graduation." Ryou admitted, and he felt small and self conscious explaining these things to the former spirit. "It really was my best option."

Bakura didn't say anything but gestured for Ryou to join him on the couch, which he did.

"Did Kaiba give you the job?" He asked.

Ryou shook his head. "No, not that I know of, I got the impression I was hired on my own merits."

Bakura inclined his head. "You were always a smart kid."

It felt like a big compliment coming from Bakura, but the comment stirred something in Ryou that he had been milling over since leaving Kaiba's office that morning.

"Do you think I could go back to school?" He asked.

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "I thought that was your plan, you always liked that damn thing." It was true, Ryou hadn't been a very happy child, and school had always been a relief and an escape from most of the darker things in his life.

"Yeah." Ryou said quietly. "It just didn't quite work out the way I hoped." Bakura seemed to be avoiding his gaze and Ryou felt his spirits sink as he remembered how difficult things had been around graduation. Bakura had just disappeared, and although it may have seemed like a blessing, the loss of such a big part of his life had left him stumbling. Still so far estranged from his father, Ryou had felt small and alone, always just floating on the outskirts of Yugi's gang of friends. Work had been an absolute necessity, and Kaiba Corp had been a blessing at the time. There was just no way Ryou would have been able to support himself through school. He doubted he would have been able to support himself at all had he not had Yami to live with him.

"What's stopping you now?" Bakura asked.

Ryou frowned. "Same thing as before really, its just too expensive."

Bakura put his feet up on the coffee table. "If its what you want Ryou, you should do it."

"Its not that simple." Ryou sighed. "I don't hate my job, and I can't even begin to figure out how to pay for school."

Bakura opened his mouth to say something but paused, looking thoughtful, before closing it. He changed direction quickly. "Why do you live with Yami?"

Ryou blinked, and turned to look over his shoulder at Yami's door, wondering if Bakura knew he was there. "He's my roommate." Ryou defended.

Bakura rolled his eyes. "How did that happen? I thought he was Yugi's pet."

Ryou tried his best to ignore Bakura's rudeness. "He and Yugi sort of… had a falling out I guess. He needed a place to live, and I didn't want to live alone."

"Would you want to live alone now?" Bakura asked.

Ryou furrowed his brows, wondering where on earth Bakura was going with this. "I like a little company." Ryou decided. "It's nice not to be alone."

Bakura shrugged, and that seemed to end the conversation.

* * *

_**I hope you're enjoying it so far, please feel free to tell me what you think.  
Note: I'm not a very good proof reader, so my apologies for any spelling or grammatical mistakes. **_


	4. Chapter 4

_**If things seem a little off it's because I condensed a few of the chapters to keep this story from being too much of a monster. This one is brand new though! So enjoy. **_

* * *

The CEO stepped out of his car, tossing his keys to a young valet without even glancing in his direction. He had hardly been opposed to _Acquerello_ before, it was definitively one of the best establishments in Domino. The restaurant wasn't always his first choice for business lunches, but it had become particularly interesting to him in recent weeks. He had avoided the place entirely since his first encounter with his formal rival, but he couldn't seem to resist anymore. He was ever so slightly late, as intended, in order to assure he was the last one to arrive. No one kept Seto Kaiba waiting.

He brushed off the hostess and strode deliberately through the tables, heading straight to the private dining area, situated slightly higher than the rest of the room, enclosed with delicate paper walls. A few diners pointed and whispered, but Kaiba was used to that sort of thing by now.

"Gentlemen." He nodded formally, as the other two guests stood to greet him.

"Kaiba!" The first man exclaimed, grasping his offered hand warmly. "It's so nice to see you again."

"Atsuko." Kaiba smiled sincerely. Atsuko was short and pleasantly plump, barely reaching his chest. His hair was thin and graying, and his glasses thick. Kaiba wasn't particularly fond of many business men he competed with, but there was something he had always liked about Atsuko. He was left over from an older generation, and Kaiba respected his honestly and integrity.

The other man, Shiro, was much less familiar to Kaiba. He was straight cut and middle aged, easily dismissible but up and coming none the less. Kaiba had already made his decision, this lunch and their opportunity to promote themselves was just a formal gratuity. The youngest CEO smirked as he heard footsteps approach their room, he had asked his secretary to make a special request that was sure to make this lunch a little more interesting.

"Welcome to Acquerello." Yami charmed smoothly, without so much as skipping a beat. It seemed he wasn't remotely caught off guard this time. Kaiba had a better opportunity to observe him now. His white shirt and dark pants were still obnoxiously tight fitting, even if technically formal. His hair was again hanging a little flatter than Yugi's ever had and Kaiba wondered if that was natural for him. _Was he wearing eyeliner?_ Kaiba couldn't deny that his scarlet eyes were well defined. He tried to shake off the feeling that Atsuko was watching his observations from the corner of his eye. Yami dispersed the menu's pleasantly, before leaving the men to their business.

"So," Kaiba drawled, "I'm sure you two have heard rumors about my new designs." The two men grew more serious, as they straightened to talk business.

"Yes." Shiro spoke first. "It's a big step for Kaiba Corp."

"We were thrilled to have them confirmed." Atsuko added. "We know you would bring fresh innovation to the field."

Kaiba nodded. "I intend to follow them through to completion."

Atsuko beamed.

"What are you looking for then?" Shiro asked. He didn't seem interested in pleasantries.

"I wouldn't trust the software to anyone else of course, and we could construct the necessary operations for construction ourselves." Kaiba paused.

"But it would be simpler to commission the bodywork." Shiro cut in.

Kaiba nodded. "If the work could be performed to Kaiba Corp standards."

Atsuko smiled. "Of course, with you one expects top quality, no expense spared."

"You're catching on." Kaiba smirked.

Yami returned then, filling their water glasses. He pulled his notepad out of his waistband and smiled slyly, taking great care not to look directly at his least favorite customer. "Can I start you gentlemen off with something to drink?"

"Excuse me," Atsuko interjected pleasantly, "Forgive me, but would you mind me asking where you're from? Your accent is so pleasing."

Yami blinked, but if he was surprised he recovered quickly. "I'm originally from Egypt, sir." Kaiba resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Atsuko couldn't even begin to imagine the whole story.

"Oh my." Atsuko smiled. "A long way from home then. Are you enjoying Japan?"

Shiro cleared his throat sternly, indicating he wanted to hurry things along.

"Ah yes sorry," Atsuko apologized, half frowning at Shiro. "Forgive an old man his rambles. Let's see I'll have a bottle for the table…" Atsuko browsed the list before making his selection.

Yami collected the wine book and bowed with a slight wink, before dismissing himself again. Kaiba was already thrown off by Yami's flirtatious attitude, but it got much worse when he noticed Shiro's eyes lingered slightly on his former rivals rear end as he walked away. Maybe this had been a bad idea.

Casual negotiations continued even as Yami returned with the wine, but Kaiba felt himself rapidly losing interest. He had been sure he was going to enjoy tormenting Yami during lunch, but something about the whole encounter was putting him off his game. His constant entrance and exit was distracting to say the least. Yami didn't make eye contact with him when he took his order, but was particularly friendly with Atsuko, who seemed to enjoy talking to the young waiter.

* * *

Yami sighed with relief when the last of Kaiba's two business men disappeared out of front door. His shoulders slumped as he relaxed. The last hour had been a severe test of every ounce of his patience. Just being in the same room with Kaiba set him on edge and he felt like he could snap at any moment. He took his frustration out on Kaiba's empty plate while clearing the table. It hadn't been all bad though, the older man seemed quite pleasant, and Yami hoped Kaiba might pick up some of his manners.

The former pharaoh frowned as he noticed the check holder wasn't laying flat. He picked it up, flipped it open, and his mouth fell open in shock. Most of the patrons in a place like Acquerello paid by credit card, it wasn't an inexpensive place. Another girl had rung up the check for him and he hadn't paid much attention but he could clearly read that the meal had been paid for with Seto Kaiba's credit card. But there was cash too. A lot of cash. Yami flipped through the stack and paled. It was enough money to pay the rent on a place like his and Ryou's for more than a year.

_Did Kaiba leave this for me?_ It didn't seem like him. _Or did it? _Yami's blood began to boil as it started to sink in. Of course Kaiba had to make sure he had the upper hand. He would know how easy it would be to humiliate Yami with his immense wealth, and remind him just how inferior he was. He heard footsteps and hastily stuffed the impressive fold of cash into his pocket, hoping beyond hope that no one else would end up knowing about it.

* * *

Across town Ryou hummed quietly to himself as he dusted off the bookshelf. He had busied himself with cleaning for most of the afternoon, which was something he always enjoyed to clear his head. Ryou was very neat and tidy, and though he had guilted Yami into learning to pick up after himself, Bakura was an entirely different matter.

_Speaking of my houseguest, _Ryou thought to himself, wondering where he had got to. He didn't seem to be in the small apartment, so Ryou peeked out the front door. Bakura was standing a few feet away leaning on the railing, cigarette in hand. He was observing the small overgrown courtyard between the buildings.

"You smoke?" Ryou asked.

Bakura shrugged before putting out the stub on the railing. Now that Ryou walked closer to him he could recognize the familiar scent that always clung faintly to the former spirit. Ryou stopped next to him, resting his own arms on the railing as well.

"You really need your own balcony." Bakura commented, flicking the end of the cigarette off the rail and watching it fall down into the greenery. Ryou wanted to object to the blatant littering.

Instead, he sighed and rested his chin on his hands. "I didn't exactly plan on living here forever when I picked it out." Bakura straightened up, looking down at him, and Ryou turned closer to him, still fascinated by just how much taller his darker half was.

"Lets move somewhere else then." He murmured.

Ryou's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What?" He asked, a little dumbstruck. "Like you and me?" Bakura nodded, his red eyes staring very intently into the smaller boy.

"I live with Yami." Ryou pointed out, still trying to wrap his mind around the request.

"Is he not capable of taking care of himself?" Bakura asked, tilting his head with a slight smirk.

"I don't know." Ryou admitted. "But this place is pretty good for what we can afford."

"Don't worry about the money, Ryou." Bakura smiled, and the gentle nature of it looked odd on him.

"What?" Ryou asked. Was Bakura suggesting what he thought he was? It had never really occurred to Ryou that Bakura might have money. Even if he did, Ryou wasn't really sure he could trust it. He reminded himself of the hole in his drywall.

"How?" Ryou asked when Bakura didn't say anything.

Bakura chuckled, and placed his hands on Ryou's thin shoulders. "Trust me Ryou." He murmured, suddenly very close. Ryou was distracted by how warm he was. "Don't worry about the money."

Ryou blinked. _Trust him? _He wasn't so sure it was a good idea… But he guessed Bakura hadn't given him any reason to be concerned since he turned up.

"Okay." Ryou agreed hesitantly.

"Good." Bakura concluded. He removed his hands from Ryou's shoulders and swept past him, leaving Ryou to follow him out of the cold and back into the apartment.

That evening Yami returned home in a foul mood. He stormed through the kitchen, muttering darkly and seething over the contents of the fridge.

"What's eating you?" Bakura asked, leaning against the doorway, arms crossed.

"This." Yami hissed, tossing something across the kitchen, which Bakura plucked out of the air with ease. Ryou squinted at it from across the room, it looked like money to him.

Bakura skimmed through the stack, letting out a low whistle. "You really waiting tables? Cause it looks to me like you're working the street corner." Yami snatched the wad back from Bakura with a nasty comment and waved it in Ryou's face.

"Do you see this?" He asked. Ryou nodded intently, trying to appease Yami's temper.

"Where did you get it?" Ryou asked. Yami sure didn't make that kind of money.

"Seto fucking Kaiba." He snarled. Bakura burst out laughing.

"Are you serious?" Bakura asked, still chuckling.

"Does it looked like I'm kidding?" Yami snapped.

"Wait, I don't understand." Ryou cut in.

"That bastard had the nerve to show his face again today, and decide to leave me a _tip_." Yami explained. Ryou groaned internally. Of course. What was it about Kaiba that couldn't resist taking every opportunity to pick a fight with the wild haired young man? It really was brilliant, Yami would never take that type of thing laying down.

"Who does he think he is?" Yami continued.

"Rich and obnoxious?" Bakura offered.

"Well I suppose it could be worse." Ryou pointed out.

"I'm sure he has plenty to spare." Bakura added distractedly, now eying Ryou's leftovers still sitting on the counter.

"Thats not the point!" Yami raged, storming off and slamming his bedroom door behind him. Bakura chuckled some more, helping himself to old chicken.

"I don't know why Kaiba goads him so much." Ryou lamented.

Bakura shrugged. "It's good fun."

"He knew that money would really bug Yami." Ryou mused.

"Kaiba's certainly not stupid." Bakura said. He ripped off a chunk of chicken with his teeth and then frowned. "I wonder what's going on between them."

"Nothing, they're just being childish." Ryou admonished.

"Nothing my ass." Bakura muttered, staring at the place Yami had disappeared.

* * *

A few days later, Bakura stood leaning against the counter of Ryou's desk, watching the smaller boy work with halfhearted interest.

"You're very distracting you know." Ryou commented playfully.

"Hmmm." Bakura hummed. "Am I?"

"And people are staring." Ryou whispered. It was true, Bakura stuck out like a sore thumb in the office. Today was Ryou's first day back to work, Katashi was away on business in New York, and his darker half had insisted on accompanying him. Ryou would have thought it was a protective gesture, but Bakura also seemed to be growing rapidly restless contained in the small apartment. Quite frankly, Ryou was surprised Bakura had been let into the building at all. People had been shooting disapproving looks at the desk as they passed all morning long. Bakura definitely couldn't follow him to work every day, and Ryou was beginning to wonder how much having Bakura back in his life could effect things.

Ryou was sorting through some papers from Katashi's inbox, when he felt Bakura give his foot a solid nudge under the table. Ryou looked up, spotting a familiar head of black hair bounding down the hallway towards him. Mokuba reached the counter with ease, but even standing on his tip toes his chin was barely higher than the marble top.

"Hey Ryou." He grinned. He cast a very nervous look at Bakura, but snapped his eyes back to Ryou almost immediately.

"Mokuba." Ryou smiled, he really did like the younger Kaiba.

"You didn't call me." The boy pouted. Ryou groaned internally, the number Mokuba had given him was sitting untouched in his desk drawer. But really Ryou still didn't have any idea what he'd say.

"Sorry about that." Ryou apologized.

"Its okay." Mokuba said cheerfully. "It sounds like you've been real busy." Ryou wondered how much Kaiba might tell his younger brother, and more importantly where the CEO was. Ryou knew Mokuba hardly went anywhere without close supervision.

"Brother's coming to see you." Mokuba continued as if he had known what Ryou had been thinking.

"Oh…" Ryou trailed off nervously. He still wasn't ever quite sure with Kaiba.

"Kaiba spend a lot of time bothering secretaries?" Bakura asked coolly.

Mokuba didn't seem to want to look at Bakura, and his face fell a little.

"Bakura." Ryou chastised him quietly.

"Ryou's not just an assistant!" Mokuba recovered quickly. "He's a friend."

Bakura snorted. "Yeah right." He muttered.

Kaiba did arrive shortly, the sound of his boots echoing in the hallway. Bakura straightened a little, and crossed his arms in a hostile manner. Kaiba slowed and rounded the front of the desk, stopping in front of Ryou and letting his briefcase rest on the desk. Ryou began to stand to greet him but Kaiba motioned abruptly for him to stay seated.

"Ryou." He said curtly, but even as he spoke his eyes were focused sternly on Bakura, standing behind him.

"Good morning, sir." Ryou said as optimistically as he could muster.

"Is it really necessary for you to be here?" Kaiba asked, giving Bakura a very disapproving look.

"You say that like I'd leave." Bakura smirked, leaning against the counter.

Ryou turned to look at him, and Bakura raised and eyebrow in reply. Ryou sighed. Maybe he trusted Bakura more than he thought.

Kaiba pulled an envelope out of his coat and held it out for Ryou to take. Ryou wasn't sure what to expect when he slipped the seal open to reveal a collection of formal papers. "Kaiba Corp offers several programs to help employees pursue higher education." The CEO detailed. Ryou's jaw dropped. Kaiba Corp would pay for him to go to college?

"What's the catch?" Bakura asked suspiciously.

Kaiba smirked. "The employee obviously commits to a long term contract with the company."

Bakura growled. "If Ryou wants to go to school I'll damn well pay for it." He snapped.

Ryou's mind was still spinning as he skimmed the Kaiba Corp paperwork, although he was vaguely amused that the two could have the conversation without him. Did Bakura have any idea what he was offering, did he have any idea how much school would cost? Ryou doubted it. Still if he did have the money for a thing like that it could change Ryou's life entirely. Ryou was coming to terms with the fact that he really did want to go back to school. And he certainly wasn't sure he wanted to be tied to Kaiba Corp for life. Kaiba and Bakura were still arguing about the details but Ryou wasn't really listening anymore. He did however jump quite badly when the door at the end of the hall banged open with a crash.

"Bakura!" Came Yami's enraged snarl as he stormed up the hallway towards them. Bakura scooted slightly, so that he was better sheltered behind Ryou.

"What's going on?" Ryou asked in alarm. Yami glanced at Kaiba so quickly Ryou thought he might have imagined it.

"Why don't you ask your little rat." Yami snapped at Ryou. Bakura narrowed his eyes threateningly.

"What are you on about?" Bakura cut in.

"I had a fun little visit this morning at work." Yami seethed. "From a fucking cop." Ryou gasped, but if this news was surprising to Bakura he didn't show it. "I don't suppose you have anything to say for yourself Bakura?"

"Not a damn thing." Bakura drawled.

"You're a fucking joke." Yami snarled. "I don't suppose you know anything about a Turkish bank job?"

"Doesn't ring a bell." Bakura smirked. "But it was just the safety deposit wing."

Ryou's mouth dropped open. "Bakura, you didn't!" He hissed.

"Relax." Bakura muttered. "It was ages ago."

"I swear to God if you get me fired…" Yami threatened.

"Oh I'm so scared of the mighty pharaoh." Bakura mocked.

"Enough! Guys come on!" Ryou didn't feel like this was a good conversation to have in front of Kaiba. The brunette hadn't said anything, and seemed to be just observing, albeit in a judgmental manner. Mokuba was staring at the two former spirits with wide eyes.

"You're pathetic Bakura." Yami growled. "I hope you get what you deserve." He turned on his heel to storm out of the room, but came to an abrupt halt a ways from the desk, and turned back sharply. He came back swiftly, pulling something out of his pocket. He passed Ryou completely, stopping directly in front of a surprised Kaiba.

"And you…" Yami hissed. He slammed whatever he had in his hand down on the table and strode away angrily.

Kaiba just stared at the roll of cash now sitting on Ryou's desktop. Bakura chuckled. "Well played." He muttered.

The CEO didn't make any recognition, but collected his briefcase, and swept away without saying a word. Mokuba still looked shocked, but he picked up the cash, and hurried after his brother's heels.

* * *

_**Things are getting heated...  
I feel so awkward asking for reviews, especially since I myself am an avid reader and fan of fanfiction but a terrible reviewer. But I get a little nervous if I don't hear from you guys! Don't be shy to drop me a line! No pressure. Thanks so much for reading. **_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Thanks so much for everyone who reviewed! You guys are making this experience so fun for me. **_  
_**Fair warning: This chapter is not well proof-read. **_

* * *

Ryou couldn't deny that the prospect of returning to school brightened his future. He was sitting at the kitchen table, flipping through various university pamphlets familiarizing himself with the schools. It was important to Ryou that it was affordable, he was already uncomfortable with the idea of someone else paying for it, and also local. As strange as it was Ryou was attached to Domino, and after moving around so much as a kid, he felt a desire to stay put. Even when so many of his friends had moved on, Ryou felt they were all attached to Domino at the roots. The small sense of home was enough for the Englishman.

Ryou was coming to terms with how badly he wished he could go back to school. He wanted to be happy about it, but the more he thought about it the more obstacles seemed to be in the way. Where would he live? His current apartment was too far from Domino University to be realistic. But could he really move? Bakura had offered to help him, but putting that much weight on his relationship with the former spirit made him nervous. He didn't know if Bakura knew what he was offering, or what he was getting into. University would be years of commitment, and it certainly wouldn't be cheap. Ryou was sure Bakura meant what he said for now, but what about down the road? He had no idea if he could get back up on his feet again if the rug pulled out from under him at some point.

And what about Yami? Ryou knew he couldn't move across town to please Ryou. But what would Yami do if Ryou just up and left? He couldn't stomach the idea of leaving the former pharaoh alone on his own. Yami had been there for Ryou in the last few years when no one else had. Ryou just couldn't abandon him.

He sighed and shuffled the pile of papers together. In truth Ryou already knew that he wanted to attend Domino University, he just didn't know how it could work out. Ryou sighed wistfully, thinking about Yugi and his friends off on a plush scholarship program at a big fancy American school. Ryou groaned and laid his head on his arms. Nothing was ever easy for him.

* * *

"Yami!" A curt voice called across the kitchen.

"Yes?" Yami asked, dusting his hands off on his apron.

"Someone's here to see you." The portly manager informed him.

"What?" Yami asked, surprised. He didn't think he'd ever had a visitor at work. It was unusual too that Marcus was being so well tempered, a disturbance like this would usually send the impatient man into a fit. He figured he might as well jump in front of the train. "Uhhh," Yami stalled. "Tell em to meet me out back in a bit then."

Marcus shook his head. "No can do Yami, he's at the hostess stand and you will not keep him waiting, now go." Yami blinked at his abrupt dismissal, but hurried into the dining room as gracefully as possible. Seto Kaiba was standing next to a petrified looking hostess, looking bored and almost annoyed in an impeccable suit that probably cost more than most people's cars. The CEO sneered when he caught sight of Yami walking his way.

"Kaiba." Yami greeted shortly, doing his best to conceal his surprise. Kaiba didn't even reply, his mouth pulling up in a smirk.

"Let me seat you two." The hostess interjected, pulling out two menus.

Yami held his hand up to interrupt her. "That won't be necessary." He said curtly. "We'll be taking this outside." He swept past the young CEO, who followed him with a dark laugh.

"Was that your idea of a power move?" Kaiba asked, now towering over Yami on the sidewalk.

"What do you want Kaiba?" Yami asked, really in no mood to play games. Kaiba crossed his arms and took a moment to size Yami up. The former pharaoh felt surprisingly self conscious under the sharp blue gaze, but he resisted the urge to fidget.

"I want you to go back to school with Ryou." He finally admitted.

Yami's jaw dropped. "What?" He spluttered, totally thrown off guard.

"You heard me." Kaiba said impatiently.

"I can't go to school." Yami said flatly. "You know that."

"That's nothing I couldn't fix." Kaiba looked positively smug.

"It's not something you can throw money at." Yami snapped, feeling embarrassed and humiliated to have his problems drawn out by his rival.

"What do you need, papers? Background information?" Kaiba asked.

Yami couldn't help but glance around nervously to make sure the street was clear. He was already living in constant fear of his less than legal residency. "You know the difficulties of my situation."

"I could make them go away." Kaiba seemed very cocky. Yami narrowed his eyes. He didn't really doubt that Kaiba would have resources and connections to help with his situation, but it just didn't sit right with the former spirit.

"Why?" Yami asked suspiciously.

"Keep your enemies closer." Kaiba said cryptically. Yami raised his chin a little in indignation. He had always considered himself and Kaiba rivals, not enemies. But he refused to take the bait. Kaiba seemed to soften.

"We both know that this," He gestured at Yami's work outfit, "Is a severe waste of talent." Yami was surprised to hear the halfhearted praise from the brunette. "I'm a big enough person to admit it's a shame to waste such potential."

Yami unconsciously puffed out his chest a little. "Are you attempting to create your own challengers now?"

Kaiba grunted. "Don't get carried away, I'm merely securing potential assets for Kaiba Corp."

"You think I want to work for you?" Yami laughed. He'd spend the rest of his damn life waiting tables if the only alternative was working for Kaiba. The CEO narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything. "It doesn't matter anyway." Yami continued, deciding honestly was still the best policy at this point. "I'm in the same boat as Ryou, I can't exactly pay for school."

"Kaiba Corp has programs available." Kaiba offered with a smirk.

"I already made it clear I have no interest in being tied to your damn company." Yami snapped.

"But you're not opposed to school?" Kaiba raised an eyebrow.

Yami opened his mouth to reply but his thought process got stuck somewhere in his brain. Of course he wanted the opportunity to seek education, but he hadn't been in school previously and he knew he was far behind standard. Not that he would admit that to Kaiba.

The brunette waved his hand dismissively. "I'll pay for it." Yami gaped. Such a gesture was completely unexpected from Kaiba. And yet just insulting enough to humiliate the former pharaoh.

"I don't need your handout." Yami snarled, brushing past Kaiba and storming back into the restaurant. He refused to look back and observe Kaiba's reaction. He was seething inside, how dare the tyrant show up here and wave his money and connections in Yami's face. What kind of sick game was he playing at?

* * *

Across town Ryou was fiddling nervously with the napkin spread out over his lap. He looked up when he heard Bakura chuckle quietly.

"Are you always this nervous?" He asked.

"I'm not nervous!" Ryou squeaked. Bakura gave him a look that clearly said he didn't believe it.

The two white haired boys were sitting in a small diner as evening was falling. It was the first time Ryou had actually been out to eat in ages, and more importantly the first time he'd been out with Bakura. Ryou had hardly even been out like this in his whole life actually, and he just wasn't sure how to behave.

"What is exactly is a brisket?" Bakura asked, squinting at his menu.

Ryou shrugged. "It's a cut of beef I think." He pondered it for a moment. "I'm surprised you wouldn't know a think like that with how much meat you eat."

Bakura grinned wolfishly. "I usually just swallow it."

"There has to be things you don't like." Truthfully, Ryou was kind of curious, he had never had a good insight into Bakura's eating habits as a spirit.

Bakura shrugged. "I used to eat rats you know, food is food." Ryou stared at him dumbstruck.

"What?" He asked, disgusted. "Why?"

"There didn't used to be much of anything in the desert, you couldn't afford to be picky." Bakura said casually. It took a moment for the weight of that statement to reach Ryou.

"Wait…" He trailed off. "You mean like way back? Like back then?"

Bakura resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "What do you think I meant?"

Ryou stared openly at his darker half. Bakura never talked about his former life. With the way Yami had always seemed to be unaware of parts of his, Ryou hadn't been entirely sure that Bakura even had real memories of his time before entrapment in the ring. His comment was revealing to say the least.

"Wow…" Ryou mused thoughtfully. "I can't even imagine."

Bakura shrugged and shifted awkwardly, seemingly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken. Ryou knew better than to push the subject.

It surprised Ryou how easy it was to talk to Bakura throughout their meal. He supposed he often forgot how closely connected he and Bakura had been for so many years. After the initial awkwardness, things seemed to flow smoothly between them. Ryou had never been accustomed to having great social skills, but something about the familiarity of the actions warmed him. It was good to get a real hot meal too, and Ryou figured he should probably start cooking more.

They decided to walk home, spring was settling in on Domino and the nights were starting to lose their crisp edge, even if they both still had to wear thick coats to keep comfortable. They walked leisurely, without hurry, and Ryou felt much calmer than he would have been out on the dark streets by himself. When their conversation fell into a comfortable silence, Bakura pulled something out of his jacket and his face was lit up momentarily by a lighter.

Ryou stopped and wrinked his nose. "You really shouldn't do that."

Bakura inhaled deeply and then exhaled, his chuckle lost in the smoke. "Relax Ryou." He said. "Out of all the things that have nearly killed me I doubt smoking is going to do it."

"You don't know that." Ryou warned.

Bakura rolled his eyes, but stepped nearer to him. He took another deep inhale, and then moved even closer. Ryou felt his eyes widen and his heart beat thump as his darker half was all of a sudden almost pressed up against him. Now only a few inches from his own, Bakura's mouth turned up in a smirk. Then he exhaled smoothly through his nose, and Ryou jumped back, spluttering as he had taken most of the smoke to the face, Bakura laughing at his surprise.

"That's awful!" Ryou whined, rubbing at his eyes, which stung a little.

"How do you know?" Bakura asked playfully. "Have you ever tried it?" Ryou shook his head firmly, and the former spirit held out the cigarette to Ryou, dangling off the edge of his fingers.

Ryou stared at the offending object, but continued shaking his head. "No I won't, thats terrible."

"C'mon…" Bakura goaded him. "Just try it once and I'll leave you alone."

Ryou eyed the thing nervously. He had never really thought about trying one before but now that it was just presented to him he couldn't help but be a little curious. He sighed defeated and reached out, awkwardly fumbling to take it from Bakura. He refused to make eye contact with his darker half as he studied the cigarette for a minute, before cautiously bringing it to his own lips.

He knew the minute the smoke reached his lungs that he had made a mistake. He coughed and wheezed violently, struggling to take a clean breath. Bakura was laughing good naturedly, thumping Ryou on the back, while he returned the vice to his own mouth.

"Bloody hell." Ryou wheezed, making a face as he tasted the thick smoke in his mouth. "Thats disgusting."

Bakura was still chuckling, but he shrugged. "You get used to it." Ryou shook his head in disbelief, but wished he had something to rinse his mouth out with.

"Absolutely vile." He muttered before continuing to walk on in the dark street, Bakura's long strides keeping up with ease.

By the time they arrived back at the apartment, night had really fallen and Ryou was absolutely freezing. He hurried into his room and stripped out of his clothes, putting on his coziest pajamas. He paused in the doorway but then turned back and pulled the entire duvet off the bed, wrapping himself in it before returning to the living room. Bakura rolled his eyes, but scooted over to make room on the couch for Ryou regardless.

Bakura turned his attention immediately back to the television, and Ryou was amused to see that he had bypassed the normal horror and gore television he usually preferred, and was watching a documentary that appeared to be about ancient Egypt. Ryou grew more entertained as Bakura held an absolute fascination about the program. When the amusement died down Ryou began to more seriously ponder Bakura's rapt attention. Ryou looked slowly between the former spirit and the mediocre reenactments on the program, and felt a dull pain start to grow in his chest. Bakura almost looked sad, and quietly Ryou wondered who he had been.

Was the Bakura he knew anything like the ancient thief? Ryou supposed he had always assumed Bakura was more of a reincarnation of an ancient soul than anything else. Was it possible that Bakura did remember everything, or even that he was the same person? He struggled in vain to remember what the former spirit had been like when he had first seen him, what he had looked like, but the memories were fuzzy. He remembered clearly though how angry his sudden possession had been, brutal and violent.

But now, looking at the young man who was glued to the program, Ryou felt pity creeping into him. Had Bakura really been the same person, alive all these years? He couldn't imagine how hard it would have been to be ripped out of his own time, entrapped in a maze for thousands of years, and then deposited as a whisper of a being inside a human boy, in the modern world. Is that what Bakura had struggled with? But to him, Bakura had never seemed to struggle, he always seemed to do well, even if he had been absolutely awful to Ryou for so long. Had he been scared, confused, defensive? He had never seemed that way to Ryou.

He didn't know if Bakura would even hear him if he said anything, and before long Ryou felt himself nodding off wrapped up in his blankets. He was tired, and he didn't fight it.

* * *

Bakura turned his head slightly as he heard the distant scrape in the lock that meant Yami had arrived home. Ryou had nodded off hours before while the TV was on, and he slept soundly now, head tucked up onto the arm of the couch. Bakura stood and moved silently into the kitchen, running into Yami, who barely had time to open his mouth before Bakura shushed him.

"Ryou's sleeping." He said, jerking his head in the direction of the living room.

"Oh." Yami said quietly, looking a little put off by being alone with him. Bakura leaned up against the doorway, studying Yami, who set his own bag down on the kitchen table.

"Ryou wants go to back to school." He started casually.

"Oh." Yami said again, and Bakura noted the almost alarmed look on the former pharaohs face, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "Good for him." Yami added hastily.

Bakura straightened himself up and stood a little taller. "I don't think he's going to do it." He said quietly.

"Why not?" Yami asked, and he did look at least concerned now.

"Because of you." Bakura said gruffly, crossing his arms. He was not at all pleased that Yami seemed to be holding Ryou back from whatever he wanted to do. His lighter half always paid far too much attention to the feelings of others, and far too little attention to his own.

"Me?" Yami asked quietly. Bakura nodded, knowing Yami was at least smart enough to figure it out for himself. The former pharaoh slumped a little. "Ryou always is too kind." Bakura nodded curtly in agreement, but he wasn't happy about it. "How has he managed to stay so normal?" Yami pondered quietly.

"I don't have a fucking clue." Bakura snapped. He could read between the lines of what Yami was insinuating. He refused to wallow in his own guilt now.

"Relax." Yami hissed, rolling his eyes at Bakura's attitude. Bakura narrowed his eyes and he was rapidly losing patience with the wild haired man. Yami collected his stuff and moved to leave the kitchen, but stopped right before the doorway. He turned to look at him. "You and I Bakura," He said quietly, "We're pretty fucked up." He left the room then, leaving Bakura to stare after him.

* * *

Yami was aghast at the absolute balls on the man. The following week Kaiba was back at _Acquerello _again, with a different group of associates. However this meeting seemed much less formal, and they sat in the main dining room, far outside his section. He did notice that Kaiba seemed to be in a much worse mood than he had been the previous time, looking downright severe and disapproving at whatever topic they were discussing. Then again, Yami supposed Kaiba always looked dissatisfied.

He felt himself constantly attempting to shake the young CEO out of his mind as he worked. All he could seem to focus on was his conversation with Kaiba, and the pressing guilt Bakura had reinforced into him. It didn't help that the brunette was here now so close to him, and he desperately tried not to overhear their current conversation. Fortunately, Kaiba didn't seem to be interested in staying for long, and it was barely an hour before they began to wrap up their business.

Yami stood half concealed in the kitchen doorway, watching the men finish up and prepare to leave with a horribly torn feeling in his gut. It wasn't until he watched Kaiba's back disappear out of the front door that he was spurred into action. He threw open the back kitchen door with a bang, and sprinted out into the parking lot. There was a very extravagant black sports car starting to pull out of the lot that could only be Kaiba's. Yami skidded a bit on the gravel as he stopped right up against the passenger window, and knocked on it urgently. The car was low to the ground, but Yami still barely had to stoop down to make eye contact as the glass rolled down slowly. Two sharp blue eyes were staring at him, but Kaiba seemed completely unsurprised, almost bored. He quirked his eyebrow at Yami, who was panting a little.

"I'll do it." Yami said determinedly.

Kaiba's lips turned up slowly into his signature smirk. "Get in." He ordered.

"What?" Yami spluttered, looking around at the lot.

"I said get in." Kaiba barked.

* * *

Ryou was twisting the long cord of the kitchen phone around his finger as he giggled at Malik's antics. Bakura had his eyes closed with his head on his arms at the table, but cracked one red eye open to watch his lighter half as Ryou's laughter grew louder.

"Where's Yami?" Malik asked, his voice tinny through the cheap wiring.

Ryou hummed. "Not sure really, at work I'd assume."

Malik broke into another fit of giggles. "You saw that picture of him and Kaiba right?"

"What?" Ryou asked loudly, genuinely surprised. Bakura cracked open his other eye, but didn't pick his head up.

"Oh yeah." Malik continued. "I would have thought you'd have seen it I saw it on some gossip magazine recently. Some grainy shot of him and Kaiba standing outside a restaurant looking like they were going to kill each other."

"What?" Ryou was dumbstruck. "When did that happen?"

"No idea." Malik said. "I didn't know they were friends."

"I don't think they are…" Ryou said doubtfully. He heard the distant mumbling of someone on Malik's end, but he couldn't quite make out the words. He could guess the voice was Marik's but then Malik shouted so loud Ryou had to jerk the phone away from his ear and Bakura sat up fully.

"What the fuck?" He could hear Malik cursing rapidly in multiple languages. "How the hell did you not tell me about that? What do you mean you thought everyone knew?" Ryou made eye contact with Bakura, who just shrugged, before looking back at the phone. If Malik and Marik were having a fight Ryou wasn't sure he should be listening in.

"Ryou!" Malik shouted unnecessarily. "Marik says he caught Yami and Kaiba making out." Ryou dropped the phone with a clatter, and Bakura erupted into laughter, clearly having heard the Egyptian.

"What?" Ryou gaped, even though he knew Malik couldn't hear him. He hurriedly picked the phone up off the floor. "What?" He asked again, completely dumbstruck. "When?"

Malik was still shouting at his darker half on the other line, but they had digressed completely into what Ryou assumed was Arabic. "Marik says it was on that blimp."

"Battle City?" Ryou was shocked. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah!" Malik said. "Apparently he walked in on them going at it on the observation deck one night."

"How did he not tell anyone?" Bakura asked, blatantly eavesdropping on the conversation now.

"The bastard says he thought it was _a thing everyone knew about_." Malik groaned in frustration. "Seriously Marik? This is a big deal."

"Wow…" Ryou said quietly. He couldn't even wrap his head around the idea that the two rivals had previously been involved. He was pretty sure they weren't now but what did he know?

"So do you think they're still doing it?" Malik asked.

Ryou blushed at his friends crassness. "I don't know." He said. "I feel like I would notice a thing like that."

"Kaiba would probably keep it super secret though." Malik added.

"I guess I'll have to ask him." Ryou said, even though he doubted he'd ever have the nerve to do a thing like that. Malik said that he had to go, so Ryou hung up the phone, still pondering how on earth everyone could be in the dark about a thing like that.

"I told you there was something going on there." Bakura said gruffly.

* * *

Yami had no idea what to do with his hands in such a nice car. The dark leather interior was so luxurious he had to check the urge to stroke it. Kaiba handled the car aggressively, and the growl of the powerful engine was downright intoxicating. Yami hardly even noticed no one had said a word since he had got into the vehicle a few minutes before. It was unnerving to be so close to Kaiba in such a small space, he was overly conscious about their size difference. Yami couldn't think of anything to say, so they shot through downtown Domino in silence.

He had never really imagined where Kaiba lived. Frankly, he was surprised the man ever left Kaiba Corp. He would have assumed the place would have been cold and modern, he could picture the brunette living in some kind of dark fortress somewhere. But he found himself pleasantly surprised when they turned into an inviting and well manicured high end neighborhood. They passed a multitude of gated driveways, and Yami marveled at the sheer size of the lots. Kaiba stopped right before the biggest gate at the end of the closed neighborhood, through which Yami could only see a long winding driveway, no sign of a house.

The gate swung forward to admit them without any visible action from Kaiba. The young CEO maneuvered the car much more gently up along the extensive gravel drive. When he turned the first corner Yami's eyes widened as he got his first good view of the property. There had to be at least a good mile or two of meandering perfectly cropped gravel drive, leading through the most stunning green yard he had ever seen, up to a massive sprawling white house. Yami marveled at the beautiful garden that was a landscaping wonder. He would never have assumed Kaiba would own such a thing, he couldn't exactly picture him taking a casual stroll through the grounds.

The house too was an impressive old English style, but breathtakingly modernized. The driveway came to a large loop around an impressive fountain at the front of the house. There were a few other flashy sports cars parked artfully in the drive, and Yami smirked when he noticed the marble fountain was actually three Blue Eyes White Dragons. That seemed a little more like Kaiba to him. Up close Yami was sure the house had to have at least a hundred or so rooms, it was enormous.

Kaiba pulled the car right up to the front steps of the mansion, cutting the engine and getting out without a word. Yami was snapped back to reality as he followed, scrambling a little to catch up to his rival who was already reaching the front door. Yami had seen the almost industrial style that the Kaiba Corp building was designed in, but the inside of this house was completely different. He was surprised again to notice how warm and homely it felt, even if obnoxiously extravagant. He wondered if Kaiba had bought the house like this, or if it was his own creation.

Yami followed the CEO closely as he swept through the front entranceway, stopping in a small sitting room off of it to pick up a pile of papers that was resting on a table and Yami caught sight of the sketches on them as he remembered bits of the conversation he had overheard during the first business lunch.

"What are you building?" He asked curiously.

"What?" Kaiba asked, looking almost startled that Yami had spoken.

"At the restaurant you mentioned new plans for production…?" Yami trailed off hesitantly.

"You were eavesdropping?" Kaiba turned to smirk at him.

Yami shrugged. "Occupational hazard."Kaiba held out the small stack of papers to him, and he stared a moment before taking them, examining the detailed blueprint on top. "Planes, these are planes right?" Yami asked.

"Of course." Kaiba looked downright amused.

Yami studied the designs with fascination, flipping through a few of them. They were amazingly complex, and yet seemed to elegantly sketched and detailed. "Wow." He said quietly, before hurriedly returning them to the taller boy, embarrassed to have been stroking Kaiba's ego. The brunette didn't say anything as he collected the papers, moving out of the room and Yami followed him, taking in more of the house. They were up two flights of stairs before it occurred to him what was missing.

"Where's Mokuba?" He asked.

"School." Kaiba said gruffly, stopping in front of two large doors, entering a complicated passcode before opening them.

"Speaking of school…" Yami started to say before he stepped into the room and his train of thought became completely derailed. This had to be Kaiba's workroom of some kind. There were complicated models and diagrams of machinery arranged everywhere, even up on the walls. It was all very neat and organized, but the sheer volume of design happening in this room was immensely impressive. Yami had always known Kaiba was well educated and book smart, but he was really getting a good insight into the depth of his talent.

"Don't touch anything." Kaiba barked as he walked over to a large desk, setting the papers he had been carrying down, and starting up a complex computer system.

"Uhhh…" Yami trailed, trying to remember what they had been talking about, grateful when it came back to him quickly. "I'm not real." He said abruptly.

Kaiba looked up from the system with an amused expression. "I can fix that." He said cockily.

Yami wanted to roll his eyes at the CEO's attitude. "How?" He asked.

"Mmmm." Kaiba said thoughtfully. "I'm not about to share my secrets."

"Okay." Yami said quietly. He didn't doubt Kaiba had the connections and ability to solve his problems, so he decided not to push the issue.

"I just need some basic information from you." Kaiba adopted a professional attitude, as his fingers flew over a keyboard.

"Alright." Yami said nervously.

"What's your full name?" Kaiba asked.

"Uhhh." Yami felt his face start to heat up. "I don't know." He said quietly.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Kaiba asked, turning sharply to stare at the former spirit.

"I don't really have a name anymore." Yami said with a shrug he hoped came off as casual.

The brunette was eyeing him very seriously now. "What do you want it to be then?" He asked.

"I don't know, make something up I guess, names aren't that important." Yami frowned slightly.

"You've got to be shitting me." Kaiba said dryly, staring him down.

Yami narrowed his eyes as he felt the fight in him rise to the challenge. "What's your real name then?" He asked seriously. "I know you were adopted."

Kaiba visually stiffened. "Thats not important." He said cooly.

"See?" The former pharaoh smirked. "They call me Yami."

"Yami it is then." Kaiba said, staring sharply at him for a while longer before returning his attention to the computer. Kaiba moved on to request his cell phone number, before going on to question him about basic information for almost a half hour. Yami grew increasingly frustrated as he realized how little information he actually had about himself. Eventually Kaiba seemed to let it drop.

Shortly thereafter Kaiba had him sent home in a private car, driven by one of his staff members who had seemed to materialize out of thin air to Yami. Evening was falling now, and he found himself staring at the massive white house disappearing into the darkness behind him as the car wound it's way down the drive. He still couldn't seem to picture cold and calculating Kaiba tucked away in such a calm place.


	6. Chapter 6

**I haven't proof read this well enough yet but I can't focus now and you guys have waited too long as it is. **

* * *

"Wake up Ryou…" A quiet muttering was tugging at Ryou's sleeping consciousness. He groaned and tried to roll over to escape the harassment. He was slowly becoming aware of someone gently shaking his shoulder. He grumbled and rubbed his eyes, squinting through the bleariness.

"Bakura?" He asked sleepily.

"C'mon Ryou," The former spirit grinned, his unnaturally pointed canines glinting. "Get up."

"What?" Ryou asked, sitting up in bed, blushing at Bakura's closeness and his unexplained lack of shirt.

"I've got something I need to show you." Bakura whined impatiently, tugging on him again.

"Alright, alright." Ryou said hastily, pulling the blankets off himself and getting up, feeling particularly shy in his baggy pajamas. It didn't escape his notice how low Bakura's pants were hanging on his hips. He tried very hard not to stare at his prominent chest, _when did he find time to work out? _

When Bakura left the room to finish getting dressed, Ryou changed into casual jeans and a sweater, the cold mornings were still clinging to the last of Domino's winter. He frowned at the state of his ragged hair in the mirror, which refused to be tamed. He eventually settled for putting it up in a neat ponytail, yet still frustrating tufts of white hair stuck out at random. When they had both grabbed a quick bite to eat, Bakura lead them outside.

"Where are we going?" Ryou asked.

"Mmmm. You'll see." Bakura grinned. He was wearing that sweeping black trench coat that only he could pull off.

"Okay…" Ryou said nervously. He really didn't like surprises. His apprehension was interrupted when they reached the bottom landing of the rundown stairway, and his attention diverted. There was a long black sports car parked on the street directly in front of his building, that certainly didn't belong in his neighborhood, and that he had definitely never seen before. Ryou was still standing at the bottom of the stairs staring, but Bakura had already walked over and opened the driver's door, raising his eyebrow in a silent question.

"This is not your car." Ryou blurted out abruptly.

Bakura chuckled. "I have some paperwork that says otherwise." Ryou walked up to the car, which must have been almost brand new, gently reaching out and trailing his fingers over the sleek finish on the top of the car. Bakura got in without another word, and Ryou jumped when the roar of the engine exploded through the quiet morning street, he got in the passenger side hurriedly. The inside was every bit as black at the outside. Bakura pulled away from the curb aggressively, causing Ryou to grip the door's handle firmly. Ryou had no idea that his darker half could even drive.

"Where did you get this car?" Ryou asked dumbfounded, when they had stopped at a long light.

"I bought it." Bakura said casually, shaking his hair out with a spare hand. Ryou continued to stare in awe around the interior, suspicious to say the least.

The former spirit turned to him with a smirk. "I promise."

Ryou shrugged. He supposed Bakura was always good at keeping himself just out of real trouble. There weren't many people out on the streets that morning, as Bakura worked his way into downtown Domino. It wasn't very long until he pulled up along the curb in front of a massive brick apartment complex. Ryou stepped out of the car, closing the door carefully, and marveled at the neat little entrances to the surrounding walkups before craning his head back to examine the building they were under.

"What's here?" Ryou asked Bakura, who was watching his lighter half with muted interest.

"You'll see." Bakura quipped, motioning for Ryou to follow him. The lobby of the building only had a few people milling around, and although a few individuals sized up the former spirit, no one seemed to object to their presence.

"Relax." Bakura chided when the elevator doors were closing on them, he had hit the button for the 17th floor and the lift surged upwards. Ryou wondered if they were coming to visit someone, but it seemed a little early for a house call to him. When they stepped out of the elevator, they were in a pleasant little hallway. There were only two big wooden doors, one at either end of the space. Bakura turned to the left automatically, and stopped before the door, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a number of keys. Ryou was dying to ask what they were doing, but the question died on his tongue when Bakura opened the door, and made some sort of presenting gesture to him.

Ryou's curiosity got the better of him as he stepped into the apartment. It was surprisingly modern, most of the space seemed to be one massive open room, with floor to ceiling windows along one side, towering over the rest of the neighborhood. It was furnished, lots of warm brown and black leather, with a massive wooden table in an open kitchen. It wasn't like anything that Ryou would own but the longer he stared around the more he couldn't deny it seemed a lot like Bakura…

"What is this?" He asked his darker half.

Bakura grinned. "A house."

"Okay, but…" Ryou said a little exasperated, "Who's house?"

The former spirit shrugged. "It's mine. But I guess it's mostly yours now."

Ryou was dumbstruck. "You're joking." He said, turning on the spot to stare at the whole apartment again. He turned back to Bakura, wide eyed. "You can't buy me a house."

Bakura smirked and he stepped forward, slipping his hands around Ryou's waist and looking down at his former host. "Well I did." Ryou blushed at their sudden proximity and the feeling of being pressed so close to the taller boy. Bakura's smirk became more pronounced as he sensed the other's embarrassment. "Cmon." He said playfully, stepping away and pulling on his lighter half. "Look around."

The apartment was beautiful, there were a few spacious bedrooms and what Ryou guessed might be an office. He stopped at the massive window in one of the bedrooms, staring out at the surrounding neighborhood. Long thick curtains hung on either side of the glass wall. "Wow." Ryou said quietly before turning around to look at Bakura, who was leaning casually up against the door frame.

"It's three bedrooms and a den." Bakura said lazily.

"Soooo…" Ryou said nervously, pausing long enough to have Bakura raise his eyebrow. "I mean technically, Yami could live with us?"

Bakura groaned good naturedly. "If you insist."

"I can't abandon him." Ryou said seriously.

"I know." Bakura said with a sigh, but he smiled all the same.

Ryou hurried over to him and threw his arms around the taller boy, Bakura had to take a step back to absorb the impact. Ryou looked up at him shly. "Thank you Kura." He said quietly, before turning bright pink at the realization that he had used his darker half's old nickname from when he had been a kid. For a split second Bakura looked a little surprised, but recovered quickly. He returned Ryou's hug, resting his chin on top of his former host's head.

"You're welcome." He said quietly.

The two returned home about an hour later, to find Yami sitting unkempt and disgruntled at the kitchen table. "What's up?" Ryou asked, concerned. It was odd for Yami, who worked nights, to be up this early, and he certainly didn't look his best. Yami groaned and rubbed his eyes.

"Couldn't sleep." He mumbled.

"Oh, you okay?" Ryou asked.

"Yeah." Yami said in a distant and distracted voice. Ryou felt it was probably best not to pry and turned his attention to making everyone breakfast. Bakura had picked up a paper somewhere and was flipping through it by the time Yami spoke again, this time with much more conviction.

"I want you to go back to school Ryou, and…" He paused. "I want to go to."

"What?" Ryou asked, shocked. Bakura had folded the top of the paper over and was staring very seriously at the former pharaoh.

"Yeah." Yami said firmly, though he looked a little bit like he was second guessing himself.

"Thats amazing!" Ryou said excitedly.

"How are you gonna pay for that?" Bakura asked suspiciously.

"Don't worry about it." Yami said with a less than enthusiastic sigh. "I've got it covered." Ryou glanced over at his former spirit, Bakura still looked doubtful.

"Bakura has something to tell you too!" Ryou cut in cheerfully, hoping to derail a conflict. Bakura growled quietly as the former pharaoh's attention was turned onto him.

"I bought a house." Bakura said cooly.

"What?" Yami spluttered, turning to look at Ryou. "You're moving out?"

Ryou felt a painful sensation spring in his chest at the sad look on Yami's face. He was reminded how little his roommate had left in the world. "No!" Ryou said hastily. "Well yes actually." He corrected. "But you can come with us!"

Yami didn't look particularly excited. He looked back and forth between Ryou and Bakura. "I don't know if thats a good idea."

"C'mon Yami it'll be great!" Ryou pleaded.

Yami looked uncertain, and squinted at Bakura, who merely shrugged. "Alright." Yami said. "Lets move then I guess." Ryou grinned at him. "We're gonna have to tell the landlord about that hole in the wall now though." Yami reminded him. Ryou's smile faltered a little bit.

"I'll deal with the landlord." Bakura cut in curtly. Yami rolled his eyes, but got up from the table. He was almost to the kitchen door when Ryou couldn't hold in his curiosity anymore. He had just been dying to know for real.

"Did you kiss Kaiba?" He blurted out, clapping his hand over his mouth, surprised at his own gall. Bakura choked on his laughter, turning his face into his shoulder. Yami turned on the spot, his face already scarlet.

"What?" He asked, eyes wide.

"Uhhh." Ryou stuttered, immediately regretting his curiosity. "I just heard this rumor…"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Yami snapped, but it came out more as a squeak.

"Marik saw you two at it on that blimp." Bakura said smugly. Yami looked as if he had stopped breathing altogether.

"Did it really happen then?" Ryou asked quietly.

Yami opened and closed his mouth slowly twice before replying. "It's not a big deal." He growled.

Bakura chuckled and crossed his arms, leaning back against the counter with a smirk. "Seems like a big deal to me."

"It doesn't matter." Yami hissed at him.

"What happened?" Ryou asked timidly.

"It wasn't a big deal." Yami repeated. "We just got caught up in the moment."

"Did you let him hit it?" Bakura asked suggestively.

"What is wrong with you?" Yami snapped at him.

"That sounds like a yes to me." Bakura cackled. "Did Yugi know?" He asked. "That's kinda fucked up."

"Bakura!" Ryou hissed, trying to calm the situation down as Yami picked an apple up off the table and hurled it in the former spirits direction. Bakura just barely ducked in time.

"What?" Bakura asked innocently.

"Leave him alone!" Ryou chastised. "It's none of our business."

"You started it." Bakura mumbled. Just then a loud ringing noise sounded from Yami's pocket, and the former pharaoh fished it out with a frown.

"Who is it? Kaiba?" Bakura asked gleefully.

"Shut the fuck up!" Yami snapped at him.

"It is isn't it?" Bakura cracked up.

"No!" Yami snarled, but he was still awful pink in the face. "I swear to god Bakura…" He warned.

"You guys!" Ryou tried to interject, but Yami stormed from the room slamming the door behind him. Ryou turned his exasperated look onto Bakura, who didn't seem at all perturbed.

"Sorry Ryou." He said playfully. "I couldn't resist."

Ryou rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to stop his foot. "Why can't you two get along?"

"Bad habit." Bakura pushed up off the counter, straightening up. "Now c'mon, lets start packing." Ryou was suddenly reminded that they were moving, things were moving so fast lately, and he felt his excitement returning. Ryou wandered through the apartment and into his bedroom looking around thoughtfully, trying to figure out how he wanted to pack things up.

"How do you not own anything?" Bakura asked curiously from behind him in the doorway.

"What?" Ryou asked distractedly. "I own things."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Barely." He muttered.

"Stuff isn't that important." Ryou said turning more thoughtful.

"Yeah but still." Bakura muttered.

"But that reminds me!" Ryou said suddenly, walking over to the closet and standing up on his toes to reach a small box on the shelf at the top. "I have something you left." He said, his voice muffled by the closet. He slid the lid off the old dusty shoe box and ducked out of the closet, holding it out to his former spirit. Bakura took it curiously, and surveyed the contents with amusement.

"You saved an old rusty knife?" Bakura asked. Ryou wouldn't exactly describe it as just a knife. It was a large dangerous looking hunting knife, and even though it hadn't aged well it was still a serious weapon.

"I didn't know what to do with it." Ryou said awkwardly. "But I felt weird throwing it out."

"I can't really imagine you using it." Bakura said, taking it out of the box and frowning at it. "You're not really the stabbing type."

Ryou giggled despite himself. "How hard could it be honestly?"

"Stabbing someone?" Bakura asked, surprised. "Please you couldn't hurt a mouse." He teased.

Ryou huffed and put his hands on his hips. "I like mice." He defended lamely.

Bakura chuckled, and grabbed him by the wrist, pulling Ryou over to stand next to him. "If you really need to hurt someone, you need to know what you're doing." He lectured.

"Why would I need to hurt someone?" Ryou interjected, but Bakura only shushed him.

"You're never gonna win any fights just brandishing this thing around." He went on. "Don't slash around its only really effective if you make a good solid hit. Stand with your feet apart, keeping your weight low and balanced." He instructed, correcting Ryou's stance a little bit before continuing. "You have to use your whole body to get enough force to follow through. Flesh is much harder to get past than you might think."

"Bakura." Ryou blanched. "I'm not going to be stabbing anyone!"

"Okay, okay." His darker half said patronizingly. "But now you know. Your power needs to come from your legs and your core, not your arm."

"Just take the knife." Ryou said, trying to shake off the creepy feeling the conversation left him with.

"Its cute that you kept it though." Bakura smiled, ruffling Ryou's hair, and tucking the knife away into his own belt.

"Please just help me pack." Ryou groaned, feeling embarrassed.

* * *

"What do you want then?" Kaiba's bored voice drawled across the deserted parking garage. Yami grinned, leaning up against the side of Kaiba's well polished car with his arms crossed. It didn't escape his notice that the CEO took a minute to give him a quick glance over, and Yami wasn't sure he'd ever seen him dressed outside the restaurant. Yami couldn't deny that he had dressed to impress, in his tightest jeans and favorite black tank, he had even added a pair of massive gold earrings to his usual jewelry. Still, it was hard to outshine Kaiba in one of his immaculate suits.

"I told you to meet me at my office." Kaiba said sternly, stopping just in front of the former pharaoh and crossing his arms as well.

"No thanks." Yami said with a cocky smirk. He may be stooping to Kaiba's handout, but he certainly wasn't going to let him win the game.

Kaiba narrowed his eyes warningly. "Don't lean on my car." He snapped. Yami just blinked lazily at him while stretching out more comfortably on the side of the car, sliding his hands behind his head. All of a sudden Kaiba's hands were on either side of him and the CEO was now very close. Yami looked up at his face, heart hammering in his chest. Kaiba had to be stooped way over and their faces were only inches apart. "I said get off the car." He seethed.

Yami quirked his eyebrow. "And if I say no?" He drawled arrogantly.

Kaiba pulled away with a snarl, and reached into his jacket, pulling out a small stack of papers and slamming them on top of the car. Yami picked them up and flipped through them curiously, examining a passport with real interest.

"I hate to say it, but this is impressive." Yami admitted unwillingly.

"I know." Kaiba said, his voice still sounding bored. "Ryou filed his official resignation today."

Yami hummed. "So why are you doing it then?" He asked. Kaiba crossed his arms and Yami knew he knew exactly what he meant.

"I don't need to explain myself." He said sternly.

"Really?" Yami asked in a sultry voice. "I can think of a few reasons."

"Whatever they are I assure you, you're wrong." Kaiba drawled, staring down at the former spirit.

"One might think you're trying to control me." Yami smirked.

Kaiba stepped forward, bringing them very close together again. Yami tried his best not to feel intimidated by the others impressive height. "Like you're a challenge to me." the CEO scoffed.

"Why am I here then?" Yami asked breathlessly.

"Don't mess with me Yami." Kaiba warned in a deep voice that sent a shiver up the former pharaoh's spine.

"You don't scare me." Yami teased, right as Kaiba eliminated the space between them, pressing Yami's body entirely up against the car and covering his mouth with his own. The former spirit nipped at him daringly, and Kaiba growled as the kiss deepened. Yami felt his knees weaken as he slid his hand up the brunette's neck, fisting it in the back of his hair. The CEO groaned, sliding his free hand down Yami's back, groping his ass, and pulling him up higher against the car. Yami whimpered at the feeling, his head swimming as his lungs started to burn.

Kaiba pulled back abruptly, and the two broke apart panting. Dropped back onto his own feet Yami took a step away from the car. "I…" He attempted, but Kaiba refused to look at him, jerking the drivers door open, slamming it shut behind him so hard it made Yami jump. The tires screeched as Kaiba sped out of the lot, leaving the Egyptian staring after him. After a few moments Yami reached up and brushed his swollen lips tenderly.

"Fucker." He breathed.

* * *

"It's such a nice place Malik I love it!" Ryou giggled into his cell phone, wandering down the sidewalk in his new neighborhood in the early afternoon. He had a few things he wanted to pick up for dinner, so he was making a quick run to the grocery store. It was nice to finally live in a neighborhood where he felt comfortable just walking someplace. "You and Marik should come visit!"

Malik sighed dreamily through the line. "I'd love that. I miss Japan." He admitted. Their conversation ended by the time he reached the store, and he wandered through the isles picking things up here and there. He was hoping to at least attempt to get Bakura to eat better, his diet was atrocious. Shortly after moving in his darker half had needed to leave town again for a while, but he was supposed to be back in two days, and Ryou was pretty sure he could count on that.

A deeper part of Ryou nagged at his subconscious. _Where could Bakura be going?_ He had always known the former spirit to be reserved and mysterious, but it had been a little difficult for Bakura to hide his activities when they had been sharing the same body. Still, Bakura hadn't given him any reason not to trust him yet this time around, and on the surface Ryou was satisfied with that for now.

Ryou carried the groceries home in the sunshine, smiling to himself, feeling relaxed and at ease for the first time in a long time. He was used to feeling like there was always a disaster or conflict just waiting around the corner, and he hoped maybe his life was finally calming down. He had been worried at first about moving in with Yami years ago, because much like his own darker half the former spirit definitely had a habit of attracting attention and danger, but things hadn't been anything but mellow. Not that Ryou didn't sometimes enjoy reminiscing about the more exciting periods of his youth, the mundane work schedule really did drain him sometimes.

It was a struggle with so many bags, but he finally made it through his new front door. Yami was in the kitchen, unpacking a box of kitchen things that still needed to be attended to. Ryou set the bags down with a sigh of relief and grinned at his roommate. "I'm really excited you're coming back to school with me you know."

Yami laughed nervously. "I'm not so sure it will go well."

"What on earth makes you say that?" Ryou asked, getting a glass of water for himself.

"I don't exactly have much of an education." Yami pointed out.

"Nonsense." Ryou teased. "You're really smart, I'm sure it won't be difficult for you." Yami didn't look very convinced, but seemed to relax a little. Ryou busied himself helping continue to unpack the remainder of the kitchen. He was just unwrapping the last glass when there was a knock on the door. He looked at Yami who shrugged. Ryou certainly wasn't expecting any visitors and knocking wasn't something Bakura practiced.

Ryou opened the door and blinked down at his visitor. A very short boy with long black wild hair was grinning up at him holding a white bakers box. "Mokuba!" Ryou was surprised, but genuinely glad to see the younger Kaiba.

"I brought you a housewarming present." He said cheerfully, handing Ryou the box, which was surprisingly heavy.

"Oh my goodness, you didn't have to do that! Thank you." Ryou lead the way into the kitchen, setting the box down on the table.

"Yami!" Mokuba exclaimed, hurrying over and tackling the former pharaoh around the middle. Ryou giggled when he realized the kid wasn't that much shorter than his vertically challenged roommate now.

"Hey Mokuba!" Yami smiled, ruffling his hair. "What are you doing here?"

"Tradition indicates that you bring new residents a housewarming present." Mokuba railed off in a manner that could have rivaled his older brother. Silently Ryou wondered how on earth Mokuba had known they had moved, or where they had moved to, but he was willing to bet Kaiba had something to do with it. "But I haven't gotten to see you in forever!" He continued excitedly, snapping back to his cheerful self.

Ryou pulled the lid up on the white box and grinned at the contents. "You brought a cake?"

"Yup!" Mokuba bounded over. "Chocolate. It's from my favorite place, trust me its so good!" Ryou knew that chocolate was one of Yami's greatest weaknesses and wondered if Mokuba knew he had nailed it.

"I can't believe you're leaving Kaiba Corp." Mokuba abruptly changed the topic.

Ryou smiled. "It's better if I go back to school."

"Yeah that makes sense." Mokuba said thoughtfully. "I hope I can still see you though!"

"Of course." Ryou said cheerfully. He wondered if the boy had many friends of his own, or if he was still so isolated with his older brother.

"What are you guys doing? Unpacking?" He asked, looking around the space.

"Yeah." Ryou replied, although there honestly wasn't much left for them to do.

"Need any help?" Mokuba asked.

"Hmmm." Yami said thoughtfully. "We still have to hookup the TV."

Mokuba grinned. "Where is it? I can totally do that."

Ryou watched the two boys wander into the other room, where Mokuba immediately took command of the electronics situation. It didn't take a genius to tell Mokuba was just as smart as his older brother. Unlike Yami, who was downright clueless around the television. "How do you know that?" Yami asked confused, as Mokuba was trying to talk him into switching the two cords he was holding around. Ryou giggled watching the two banter. His heart swelled seeing the youngest Kaiba and former spirit get along so well, it was nice to hear such friendly laughter in his house. It felt a little bit like family.

* * *

The rain was heavy, but there were still a great number of people out crowding the downtown London street. Bakura shifted uncomfortably in his trench coat as he walked, feeling the water starting to drip down the back of his neck. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders trying to shake off the downpour. He walked a few more blocks, passerby's on the street giving him a comfortable berth, before stopping and surveying the other side of the road. He squinted, trying to read the numbers posted on the buildings. He was just about to step off the curb and onto the road when a voice rang out through the evening drizzle.

"Ryou?" Called an older stern voice. Bakura cursed and tried to ignore the man, doing his best not to look, and hoping he would lose interest. But the footsteps were coming nearer and he braced himself. Someone grabbed him by the elbow and he turned on the older man, snarling.

"Ry-" The man cut himself off with a gasp. "You!" He hissed, snatching his hand away and stepping back.

"Me." Bakura growled, narrowing his eyes at the familiar shorter man. He looked much older than the last time Bakura had seen him, but his short white hair was still neatly cropped, and his signature double-breasted blazer well tailored. His well manicured appearance clashed with the horrified expression on his face.

"What have you done with my son?" The englishman asked, straightening his jacket aggressively.

"Your son is fine." Bakura seethed.

"Look." The older man straightened up, and pointed threateningly at him. "I don't know what depth of hell you crawled out of, but you're to stay far away from me."

Bakura chuckled darkly. "Don't flatter yourself Galen." With that he stepped off the curb into the street, ignoring the fuming man still cursing him from the sidewalk.

* * *

Kaiba looked up from his screen, standing up from his desk as he heard the sound of rapid footsteps hurrying up the stairs to his office. The door opened shortly and Mokuba bounded into the room. "Seto!" He called excitedly, running up to his brother and hugging him tightly. Kaiba smiled and relaxed, patting the top of his little brother's head. "I missed you!"

"Missed you too kid." Kaiba sad gently, steering Mokuba out of the office and down the stairs so they could spend some time in a more comfortable place. "Where did you get to after school?" He asked, even though he was kept constantly up to date on his brothers whereabouts thanks to his security staff.

"I went to see Yami and Ryou!" Mokuba began to rattle on enthusiastically about his day. "I brought them one of Arata's cakes! They're moving into this nice place in Hoshi." Kaiba nodded, marveling at the thoughtfulness his brother always possessed with others. He tried his best to continue to pay attention to Mokuba's rambles but the mention of his rival derailed his thoughts back to their encounter in the parking garage a few days before. Kaiba had put a great effort into deliberately not remembering the incident, but it kept lurking back into his consciousness. It was… unsettling to say the least.

"Anyway," Mokuba continued. "I helped them with their TV and such, those two aren't very good with technology." He mused.

"Was Bakura there?" Kaiba asked, feeling uncertain that he wanted his younger brother hanging out with that man, and he was sure Bakura was never far from Ryou.

"Nah." Mokuba said, hurrying into the largest media room and flipping the television to the local news channel he had a routine of watching after school. "Ryou said he had some business or something." Kaiba scoffed silently to himself. He knew exactly the kind of 'business' Bakura had a habit of getting into and he made a mental note to keep better track of his influence on Mokuba. They continued to watch the news in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Mokuba spoke again.

"I wonder where Yugi is." He mused. Kaiba frowned, but didn't say anything. He was sure his younger brother knew as well as anyone that Yugi Motou and some of those mediocre friends of his were off at school in America, where they were enjoying minor celebrity fame. "Its just so weird to see Yami without him, you know?" Kaiba didn't know what to say to that. It made him uncomfortable to talk about the former spirit with Mokuba, he had always been suspicious of how much his younger brother knew about their rivalry. More to the point Kaiba hadn't exactly seen Yami at all since his… reincarnation, so to speak, excluding the past month. He didn't think he had ever seen Yugi and the former pharaoh in the same room together, and had usually always dealt with Yami as his actual rival. In all honestly Kaiba could hardly say he knew Yugi at all.

"Seto?" Mokuba asked seriously, looking concerned at his brothers distracted state.

"Sorry." The brunette apologized hastily. "Just thinking about some stuff, work issues, you know?" Mokuba didn't look very convinced but he let the subject drop.

"Will you watch a movie with me?" Mokuba begged, turning his best pleading eyes onto his brother. Kaiba really didn't have time to, but he had such difficulty telling the kid no, that he finally agreed. Luckily it was late, and they weren't even half an hour into the flick before Mokuba was nodding off on the couch. A few minutes later Kaiba quietly shut off the screen and gently picked his brother up off the couch. It was almost alarming to the CEO how fast the kid had been growing recently, and he wondered if the day would come where he wouldn't be able to carry him. Mokuba made a fuss when he awoke to find Kaiba tucking him in, but he relaxed all the same. By the time Kaiba was turning off the light and closing the door, he was already snoring slightly.

* * *

Ryou rolled over with a sigh, kicking his legs frustratedly. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn't seem to fall asleep. He found increasing trouble sleeping in the new apartment, but he did his best to blame it on his anxiety about all the rapid changes in his life. He rolled over again onto his other side when he froze, hearing footsteps in the house. He relaxed when he realized they were familiar to him. Ryou slid out of bed, and padded down the hall into the living room.

"Hey you." He said quietly, watching Bakura drop a large black duffel bag onto the couch.

"Hey." Bakura said cheerfully, flopping down onto the remaining couch, and kicking off his boots with a groan.

"I thought you'd be back tomorrow." Ryou said, settling himself down in an armchair and pulling his knees up to his chest to ward off some of the chill.

"Took the red eye home." Bakura drawled, running his hands though his hair and settling back into the leather with a groan.

"Where were you?" Ryou asked curiously.

"Europe." Bakura said with a small grin, his eyes closed now.

Ryou frowned. "You didn't rob a bank did you?"

Bakura chucked and fixed his dark red eyes on his former host. "Nah, I promise none of that."

"You've adapted to this life so well." Ryou mused, staring at the door that lead to Yami's room.

"Once a roach, always a roach." Bakura responded casually. Ryou didn't feel like pushing that conversation any further.

"Malik and Marik want to come visit." Ryou started slowly. Bakura groaned dramatically and rubbed his face with his hand. Ryou giggled.

"They're such a nuisance." Bakura whined.

"I thought you liked Marik…" Ryou trailed off. They had always seemed to get along pretty well.

"I do." Bakura begrudgingly admitted. "But Malik's a little shit." He muttered.

"Shush." Ryou chastised him. "I like Malik."

"I know." Bakura sighed. "You've liked stupider people." He hauled himself up from the couch and gestured for Ryou to do the same. "You get off to bed." He instructed through his yawn. Ryou walked back over to his room, pausing when he reached the door frame.

"I'm glad you're back." He said softly.

Bakura finished hauling his bag back over his shoulder, smiling just a little bit. "Me too." He said quietly. Ryou stepped back into his room, closing the door behind him and closed his eyes briefly. It felt so much better to have everyone he cared about under one roof. He climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to his chin, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

**Things are finally heating up. Drop me a line and let me know what you think! **


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